Amethyst
by MelindaHP
Summary: "I have lived my life knowing each day I awake may be my last. That is the price I pay for being how I am. But now I understand the true, lethal weight of my family's name, is bears down on those I love more than my own life." This is the sequel to "Neverland"! Please check that out before reading this! You will be confused otherwise! :) This story goes to my followers! 3
1. Light

Chapter 1: Light

* * *

I was pregnant.

That statement was still not something I was used to yet. Even as I felt the rock-hard bump between my hips as I leaned against the railing of the balcony. I folded my arms across myself loosely, leaning them onto the railing delicately. I wore nothing but a thin black silk spaghetti tank and matching boy shorts. I looked out onto the ocean, taking in the black water of the crescent bay, the bay in which I had grown up. I remember, as a baby, that I could not believe there was anything outside of those crescent curves, that the world ended there. The deep blue ocean made it seem that way, but Mother always assured me there was much more. She finally took me out there when I was about three; she was strong enough that she could hold me on her hip in one arm and tread water with the other. She had let me slip beneath the surface and, still gripping her firmly, I could see the ocean for the first time. The teaming score of life had been incredible; I had never seen so many different creatures at once. I could even see a glimpse of the ocean floor, nearly two miles down.

It was my first glimpse at how big the world really was.

I sighed, part of me wishing I had never learned how massive, and cruel, the world could be. My thoughts were distracted; I heard his approach before I felt it and I straightened my posture as his arms encircled me, his hands inadvertently going to my abdomen.

"Please stop," he murmured into my shoulder. I stretched, arching my back and pressing into him deeper.

"Stop what?" I inquired, though I knew.

"Stop doing this. Blaming yourself, hating yourself. I can't stand it," he pleaded, his amber eyes looking up from under his lashes. I sighed again.

"None of this is your fault," he said firmly. I didn't respond. He pulled me tighter to him.

"Come on, let's get you out of this heat," he insisted after a moment, pulling my hand to guide me inside. I let him, following him downstairs to where the rest of the family was. Emmett and Jasper sat on the couch with Eli, teaching him the finer points of their immensely complicated chess game. Esme was assisting my mother cook dinner for her and me, while Carlisle quizzed her on anything and everything. As we entered, he was insisting on her elaboration of the surgical tactics she had used back in Ancient Greece. Rosalie and Alice, on the other hand, were on the computer, ordering baby clothes. My mother had gotten rid of most of mine after I outgrew them, as they were markers of my existence that could not be left on the Island. The clothes would be delivered to one of the safe houses around the globe and then transferred by the Order, via Cylis, to the Island. Not that he knew what was in them. Nobody knew, outside of the family.

I approached the kitchen, absentmindedly helping myself to the beef and pasta that had been prepared and began eating. My mother joined me, her peripheral vision always on me while she answered Carlisle's string of questions. We ate without incident, but when we had placed our bowls in the sink, my mother turned to me, placing a hand on my cheek, a gesture she used to get me to look at her head on.

"How are you doing?" she asked and I could feel every pair of eyes in the room on me. All of them were on edge, all the time, because of me. As if I was a ticking bomb ready to explode. I half-sighed, mumbling an "I'm fine", my tone annoyed, my eyes flickering to the many witnesses. Her expression hardened slightly before she pulled me to another room. Edward and Carlisle followed. This room was one we use if there had ever been an attack on the Island; almost like a bomb shelter with 12 foot thick walls on all sides. Closing the sound proof door behind her, she turned to me again.

"I'm okay, really. Just…" I said. Her eyes softened.

"coping," she finished. I nodded, my body leaning into Edward subconsciously.

That was true. My pregnancy was not normal by any standards. I was progressing fast, much quicker than anyone expected. Though I was only four months along, I was already well into my third trimester of development. In addition, even though I was well past the stage where termination was likely to occur, I was still waiting for it. She sensed it.

"You're not going to miscarry, Ila, you're far enough along," she promised me.

"Even you don't know everything," I countered bitterly, then immediately regretted the decision.

"Sorry, Mom, there's just too many factors. The difference in the chromosome number should have never made this possible," I said.

"I know. But that's what makes this even more incredible. That the baby and you can cope with that."

"The baby could still be stillborn," I argued, "it would explain why he or she hasn't been moving." Which was true; I hadn't felt any movement from the baby at all throughout my pregnancy. She put her hand against my cheek again, but this time her expression was ambivalent.

"You sound just like I did," she mused, her half-smile amused. "But you barely moved either." That was new to me, and I felt slightly comforted. I leaned back into Edward as I felt his hands slide gently over my abdomen, his lips at my collarbone.

"You'll both be fine, love. I swear to you that," he vowed. I smiled meekly, touched by the words but knowing that he could never really guarantee that.

"Stop it," my mother said, her eyes narrowed at me fiercely.

"Sorry," I muttered. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. I sighed.

"Even you can't deny that everything has been coming at us from all sides," I insisted. Her expression hardened; she knew she couldn't deny that. A wave of fatigue overcame me and I reached for the chair to my right. Edward helped me sit carefully, kneeling besides me and wrapping his arms protectively around me, one hand at my belly while the other slung over my shoulder and I gripped tightly with my free hand while my other joined his on my abdomen.

"No, I can't deny that, but that doesn't mean we give up," she countered.

"I know, Mom, and I have no intention of giving up on this baby. But we all have to stay realistic; the probability of this baby surviving is very low, even if I can carry to full term and deliver before the Vercrian find us." I said. Edward squeezed me tightly in response to my words.

"If you want to stay realistic, then let's be realistic: no one has found out and no one will. We can last in hiding for a little while longer until you give birth. As far as the baby, I am going to do my damnedest to make sure he or she survives. Just as I did for you," my mother said, her eyes piercing sapphire in determination. She reached out and pressed her hand delicately to my belly, rubbing there. I couldn't help a small smile; she always knew what I needed, whether from blood to encouragement, which was why I had asked her, instead of Carlisle, to deliver the baby. Not that I didn't trust in him, but this was a time I needed her, in more ways than medically. We had decided there would be as few amount of people present as possible: only she, Edward, and Rose. The rest had to stay away, unless they were needed. It was a difficult decision; Emmett, Jasper, and Alice were not thrilled that they were being left behind. However, their disappointment was from the fact that they wouldn't get to watch the birth of their niece or nephew. It was odd, because maybe, in a different time or a different world, that would have been the most they would have been missing, and the only reason I would not have wanted them was because of embarrassment or the fear of yelling at them. It was comforting, to a degree, that they acted the same way as if the vampire world was resting on our shoulders, as if we weren't on the edge supernatural Armageddon.

Edward acted the same way, for the most part. He doted on me even more than before, if that was possible. Because now I could hurt both me and the baby, and natural pregnancy ailments affected me when normally my supernatural body would have shrugged them away, I appreciated his help, knowing it was from his love. He was ecstatic when I told him the news…

* * *

"Love, where are we going? Should we really be so far from the safe house?" he asked, worried for me, as always. We were on the north shore of the mansion, walking quietly over the sand dunes as the sun was just disappearing behind the horizon. I was nervous, afraid of his reaction to my life-changing news. He sensed that and stopped, pulling on my arm to get me to turn to look at him. I allowed him to, giving to his inferior strength. He put his hands on my shoulders, moving them upwards to my neck so I would meet his gaze. His own topaz eyes were smoldering with emotion, both physical—which I could not stop the slight smug feeling which caught me—and nonphysical. I swallowed nervously and shifted. I cupped his arms with my hands and nuzzled the inside of his forearm.

"I have something to tell you; but first: promise to love me, even if this isn't what you want," I mumbled into his skin. I looked back at him and his eyes were confused and alarmed. I remembered that the last time a conversation like this had occurred, I had threatened to wipe his memory.

"It's not anything like that," I answered his nonverbal panic, and he calmed slightly, "quite the opposite, actually." He was confused again. I took his hand and pressed it to my cheek, turning and kissing it lightly before moving down to press against my lower abdomen.

"Edward, I'm pregnant." No sooner than the words were out of my mouth then his lips were on mine, his other arm wrapping completely around me while the hand I held was pressed firmly to my stomach. He hugged me fiercely, lifting me up off the ground. I laughed breathlessly in relief as I saw his smile, knowing his eyes would be tearing if he could cry.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

I nodded, "I'm positive; I took two tests." He knelt down on his knees in the sand, pressing one hand to either side of my belly and touching his lips just above my navel delicately.

"Hi, baby," he murmured softly, drawing a line up from my navel with his nose before standing up and kissing me again.

"You're not mad? Scared?" I asked, confused. He crushed me to his chest.

"Of course not. Why would I be?" he countered.

"As amazing and wonderful as it is, this…this is logically the last thing we need. With everything else that is going on—" he stopped my words with another kiss.

"We will handle it," he promised, "this baby is a miracle, a blessing, and the light in all this darkness."

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Long time no see! My fault, of course!**

 **This is the first chapter of "Amethyst," the sequel to "Neverland" that everyone has been waiting for!**

 **I'm sorry for taking so long for posting this; I had actually started it a few weeks ago but I did not like the tone so I left it to give it some thought. Ila's pessimistic mindset was not what I really intended for the beginning of this story, but after I came back to it, I found that that was what I needed to start it. I promise she won't be like this the entire story.**

 **Speaking of the story, this plot will go much deeper into the Sanralae and the ongoing mayhem (which I will explain in the next chapter or two) and how the Cullens and Ila deal with being so close to death and vampiric anarchy. Please stay to see Ila's story through to the end! :)**

 **Also, thank you those of you who have come with me to Amethyst to finish the story :)**

 **ONE LAST THING: Part of what has taken me so long to update because I have now finished reading** **Life and Death** **(I know it's way late but leave me alone) and I was toying around with the idea of posting a story with Edythe in the Twilight universe (only Edythe). I have an interesting idea for a backstory for her that integrates into Bella and Edward's story that I think would be cool. There aren't that many L &D stories published yet so tell me if that is something anyone would be interested! DM me or review to this chapter! :)**

 **Love you guys! Please review if you want! I love your comments and I can't wait to hear from my favorite reviewers (down below)! :)**

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 **MVP** **: kgarrison3 and teamwolfaltw :)**

 **~Melinda :)**


	2. Breech

Chapter 2: Breech

* * *

I had never enjoyed doctor visits. The crinkling of the sterile paper, the uncomfortable feeling of latex gloves, I detested all of my experiences with medical equipment and check-ups. Though, I can't really complain since I never had to deal with a stranger touching me. My mother never trusted anyone to examine me, which made sense since no one knew what they would or could find. She always did my examinations; being the oldest, most experienced doctor in existence, as well as being as wealthy as twelve thousand years of saving and stock market investing can make a person, she was well equipped with whatever equipment utilized in any hospital or doctor's office. She knew every technique and perfected it with her abilities. She has done every exam on me at least once, whether for allergies, muscle memory, spinal alignment, weight, vision, hearing, everything.

But there was one exam she had never had the need to do on me: a gynecology exam. We knew I had a uterus and fallopian tubes and the rest of the female reproductive organs, though I never menstruated in my entire life. I didn't get mood swings with puberty, nor did I grow body hair to any real degree. Instead of the typical teenage girl puberty problems, I became thirsty for more specific blood, getting favorite blood types and donors. But there was no typical human shift. So we never bothered to delve any farther than that.

But that had changed. My mother had immediately gotten a hold of an ultrasound machine. It did not take long for us to discover that the machine did not work well with my body. The sound waves were unable to penetrate through my uterine wall to get a picture. It was very frustrating, at first, but my mother, of course, knew of another way. She had first tried to do an abdominal ultrasound, with the normal gel and wand over my stomach. But after it failed, she decided to try the exam transvaginally. However, it took a while for her to locate and have the machine brought to the island; not only are they more rare to find on the open market—for whatever the reason—but ultrasound machines are harder to move from place to place undetected. I was two months along when it finally arrived.

My mother had never had to do this type of exam on me before, though she has done them a thousand times before on other women. I was not thrilled about the idea but I knew I wanted to know as much as possible about the baby and that I had to get used to her touching me in that way. The little wand was cold and foreign in my body but I forgot about my discomfort as soon as the rhythmic pounding from the machine broke the tense silence. Edward held my hand in one of his while the other smoothed the hair across my forehead. We both locked our eyes on the gray screen and I felt the relieved smile across my face as I saw the clear outline of the baby in the image. Edward kissed my hand gently, his eyes never leaving the screen. My mother was standing at the foot of the bed by my legs, a smile on her face as well.

"Is the baby ok?" I asked, my eyes going to my mother. She met my gaze, still smiling but I saw hesitation in her expression. I was immediately alert.

"What?" I demanded, my body locking automatically. She calmed me down.

"It's going to be ok, Ila," she soothed me. I waited, my eyes focused on her face. She sighed.

"From this angle, it looks as if the baby is breeched," she continued quickly as my breathing hitched, "there is a very good probability that he or she will turn before you go into labor. It's just something we have to watch. That's all." Her voice was warm, calming. I leaned my head back on the pillow.

"What if it doesn't though?" Edward asked her. "Will you do a C-section?" My mind froze; I did not want a C-section, not if I could help it. I wanted to do a natural birth, as natural as possible. My mother felt my fear.

"Normally, yes I would. However, I don't know if Ila's uterus would give to a Cesarean section. It's incredibly strong. I don't doubt that one of us could probably tear through it with our teeth, but I would rather not do that until it's neccessary." she explained. I shook my head.

"Can I deliver naturally even if the baby's breeched?" I asked. She nodded.

"I've assisted on many breech deliveries. It is more difficult and there is more risk because of the stress on the baby's neck and head, but I can help with that. If it's your choice to deliver naturally, I will do everything in my power to make that possible."

I nodded and looked to meet Edward's gaze that I knew was on me.

"You want to go natural?" he asked, fear leaking into his voice. I nodded at him.

"No drugs and no hospital. I want have the baby here, where I was born," I insisted. Edward laid his forehead against mine.

"Anything you want, love," he promised, though I could see in his expression he would worry about me being in pain.

"I'll be fine," I assured him. "Besides, women have been doing this for thousands of years." I added, smiling at him then at my mother, who had a humorous smirk at the edges of her lips as she recalled the words she had spoken to my father when she was in labor. She slipped the wand out of me and I couldn't resist the face I made.

"Sorry," she apologized as she turned to turn off the equipment and Edward helped me sit up.

* * *

That was two and a half months ago. Because of how fast my pregnancy has been progressing, my mother believed I will go into labour any day. Everyone was on edge, watching me even more so than before. I was constantly fatigued and sore, and depressed, if I wanted to admit that to myself. It wasn't hard to understand why though; there were a lot of things to be upset about.

The Vercrian have multiplied, their numbers closing in on fifty, more so than ever before. They have scattered around the world, killing and scavenging and searching as they go. They are looking for us, me and Mother, but have not been able to locate us. They have tortured and slaughtered countless Order members, trying to discern our location. Thankfully, only Cylis knows where we truly are, and he has been protected by other members of the Order for months. Other members have been told rumors to throw the Vercrian off track. These members admit what they know and then are killed; they know their fate beforehand and still bravely go forward to defend us, beings that they have never even met, but love and look up to unconditionally. It's a sickening feeling, to have dozens upon dozens of guardians killed for your and your family's lives.

There was still the mystery of my father's book. None of us have gotten any closer to discerning the message and meaning behind the jumbled letters of the ancient language they were written in. My mother and I have come up with the theory that my father left the instructions to break the code to one of us, most likely me, but has hidden them so well we can not find them. I still struggled with the incomplete memory of that first night with him holding me, knowing that the answer lies in the missing piece. I have a nagging feeling about the book; though there is no guarantee that the book will tell us anything useful in our situation, I believed in the fact that my father was very much like my mother in terms of things like this. I believed he had the answers, and we would just have to find them. But every night, I stared down at the leather-bound book, working until I was nearly dizzy from the effort of trying to pull the memory from my mind.

All of these things were reasons to be depressed, but none more so than my baby.

The baby was still breeched, and he or she looked to be staying that way. I was scared, for my baby's life, but Mother assured me that the baby would be fine. I still wanted to deliver naturally, but I told her that if, at any time, the baby's life was in jeopardy, to do what she needed to get him or her out. But, until that occurred, I would be giving birth naturally. Edward worried incessantly about me, so much so that it was borderline infuriating. But I couldn't bring myself to be mad at him; I was too tired and terrified to be. He was there for me every waking moment. There were several times where I would break down crying from the stress and he held me tightly in his arms each time, never speaking except for an "I love you" every so often. His presence alone comforted me. We had been through hell and back since we met, and we had survived it all. Nothing we dealt with before could compare to what we're dealing with now, but knowing we would be dealing with it together, and I was not alone anymore, was comforting.

My mother was the second person who the most helpful. She and Edward had reached an unspoken and unconscious agreement. My love for them and their love for me was immense, though the relationships were different. There were things that only Edward could do for me, and ones only Mom could. They learned this balance and handed me off between each other based on who I needed. It was hard, because I felt like I was torn between the two of them, and I felt guilty about the possibility of having to love one over another. But I resolved myself in the fact that I could love both of them at the same time, equally.

But my mind couldn't help but wonder, if it came down to it, who did I love more? If I could only save one, who would it be? I shuddered away from the thoughts, the pain and horror of the idea. I forced myself away from those wonderings, internally hoping I would never have to choose.

* * *

 **Hi everyone! Another chapter for you all! :)**

 **I'm moving back into school on Sunday (OMG!) and hopefully will have some time each week to write! I want to get this story going very badly!**

 **Shoutouts** **: csp4, Marya1918 :)**

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 **Another chapter soon!**

 **~Melinda :)**


	3. Beginning

Chapter 3: Beginning

* * *

Edward kissed my lips lightly, rubbing his hand against my belly as he said goodbye. He was going hunting for a hour, just enough to get his fill. My mother was on her way back and she would switch off for him. The family did not want me without at least one of them with me at all times, especially since I was due to go into labor any time now. I assured him it would be fine and encouraged him to hunt. He nodded, his eyes still holding the fear and worry that had haunted both of us for the past few weeks. We both heard my mother's return, her gait fluid and easily recognizable to me. I remember when I was a child and had learned to hunt in the forest around my home, following my mother by the sound of her running. It was a game of hide-and-seek; she would hide and I would use my senses to find her, each time a different sense. It's how I became so adept at tracking with limited senses at my disposal. Edward kissed me once more before departing, running out the backdoor toward the dock where the boat sat with an escort to take him to the mainland to hunt. I sighed, leaning back into the couch as my mother approached from the beach, passing by Edward as she did. She stopped in the opening of the French doors, leaning on the door jamb and raising an eyebrow at me disapprovingly.

 _You've been having contractions._ She accused, her expression discontent. I nodded silently. The contraction had started about two hours ago, small but intense cramps through my abdomen and pelvic area. I had ignored it deliberately, not wanting to alert Edward until I was sure this was it. Although I hadn't had any Braxton Hicks, I didn't want to alarm him and have his worry for me multiply tenfold earlier than was necessary. However, I knew I couldn't hide it from Mother, and I didn't bother to. She nodded at my affirmation, her eyes looking away for a moment and I could feel the mental shift in her head. Even though she hadn't been a practicing doctor for many years—aside from me—, she was already mentally preparing, listing what she needed to do. I stood up carefully and turned from her, allowing her a moment to process. She followed me into the kitchen, watching me as I poured myself a glass of milk. She sighed silently, leaning back against the counter next me. A dip in her mind showed me that she had shifted again.

It was a strange concept to grasp the different levels to her mind. Each level was slightly different, altering her into a slightly different person each time. From the female warrior of the Sanralae who had killed the first Vercrian, to every alias she had embodied throughout the centuries, those characteristics and mentalities were still there. She held different ones for her different skill sets, from mathematics to hunting to medical practice. The most recent ones was the leader of the Sanralae in my father's absence, all business and strategy with the Order. But there was the layer of the normal worried mother whose teenage daughter was in labor. I watch her mind split to take on both mentalities, the medical and the maternal. She reached out and laid her hand against the underside of my stomach for a moment. I placed my hand on top of her and meet her gaze. There was no verbal communication, not even a full tangible mental one. It was just something both of us understood inherently. She pulled me to her and I clung to her, my breathing hitching from the tears that threatened to fall. I clamped down on her upper arm as I felt the oncoming wave of pain as a contraction hit. I breathed through it, as I had been from the past few hours. My mother held me, knowing what was going on. Once it ended, she pulled back.

 _They're intensifying._ She said. I nodded. As if by reflex, she turned to the hall closet, removing the instruments she had shipped to the house once we first found out I was pregnant. Sterile pads, gauze, clamps, scissors, bulbs, everything she needed. The rest of the family was in the house and they heard her open the cabinet; they knew what was inside it. They were all there immediately, watching me worriedly. I smiled at them wordlessly, a hand on the wall just in case. Alice came over and took my hand, squeezing it gently. I smiled again appreciatively, exhaling slowly. They slowly came over, one by one, and said goodbye. They were going back to the mainland to the safe house to be guarded until I delivered. I knew none of them wanted to leave me but Mother and I had already explained the reasoning. SO begrudgingly, they left and it was only Mother and Rosalie left.

Rose helped me into get comfortable on the couch, leaning my elbow on the back of the couch and gripping her forearms as each contraction rolled off me. The pain had increased, but not as exponentially as we realized, so we decided to wait for Edward to get back to tell him. He arrived exactly an hour after he left. He looked on the scene in front of him, freezing in place from shock and the onset of worry. I met his gaze with a half-hearted, pained grimace.

"It's time, Edward."

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Quick update for you, though it is a little short!**

 **Just moved in for college, round 2! Had my first week of classes and have no homework so I'm updating!**

 **Anyway, I don't think any of you care about my personal life so I hope you all enjoyed! I'm just getting started! :)**

 **Shoutouts** **: Marya1918 :)**

 **VIP:** **sujari6, BridieM, davysekhon, heartstrings13, JaelSarjenka, and MaryMary123! :)**

 **MVP** **: kgarrison3, teamwolfaltw, and KAT-TWILIGHT75 :)**

 **Another chapter will be up soon! Please REVIEW! I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS!**

 **~Melinda :)**


	4. Born Again

Chapter 4: Born Again

* * *

"Easy, Ila, easy," my mother murmured as I inhaled sharply and shifted with the contraction. My fingers grasped at the sheets but she untangled them from the fabric. My fingers dug into her skin sharply as I rode out the pain. I exhaled as it subsided, blanching.

"That one was bad," I spit through my teeth, my body still overwhelmed from the force of the pain. Rosalie gently wiped my face with a cold washcloth and I nodded at her in thanks. She didn't acknowledge it, her face mirroring Mother's and Edward's worry.

I was sweating all over, my skin clammy from the sharp difference between my body temperature and Edward's. He was lying behind me, my head on his chest, his one hand caressing the side of my cheek while the other held my free hand. My mother sat next me to me, holding one of my hands in hers, keeping me from ripping the sheets to shreds. Her strength was the only one that countered mine, but Edward insisted on letting me crush his fingers with my grip. I breathed heavily while another groan slipped between my lips.

"It hurts," I whimpered.

"I know, baby, I know," Mother murmured, reaching forward to tuck my hair back into the loose bun at the nape of my neck. My body tensed as another forceful contraction came on, and I clung onto my mother and Edward as if that would make the pain any less. They watched me struggle helplessly, doing what they could to ease it. Edward spoke to me in hushed tones, telling me how much he loved me and how well I was doing. My mother stayed verbally silent, but her mental support was there, holding strong, juggling between her nurturing instincts and her medical obligations. When it ended, I let out another pained cry. I tried to keep myself as silent as possible, but Edward could see that and told me to do whatever I needed to do, told me to scream if necessary. I knew he would not change his mind, so I conceded. I hated letting them see me like this, which was why I wanted as little amount of people here as possible. The pain was agony; I felt as if I was being ripped in two. But, with every cry that came out of my mouth, I could feel Edward and Mother wince internally. My pain was their pain. As I rode out another particularly painful contraction, my mother moved slightly away from me, angling her body toward my lower half. She let go out my hand, Edward's hand taking its place, as she grabbed a pair of latex surgical gloves.

"Nine centimeters," she announced after a moment of examining me. "Almost there, Ila. Just hold on." I inhaled and closed my eyes, nodding firmly as I exhaled, my body resting as much it could between each new wave of agony.

Contraction after contraction kept coming, each one worse than the one before. They coached me and soothed me as best they could but there wasn't much they could do to stop them. Hot salty tears mixed with blood began to pool in the corners of my eyes, sometimes dripping down my cheeks when I squeezed my eyes tightly shut when the pain became overwhelming. There was only about two minutes between contractions now and the pain just got worse and worse. I began whimpering out for Mother, hoping she could help me, that she knew a way to make the pain less. But her expression, though outwardly only slightly emotional, held extreme worry and guilt. Because she knew she could not do anything for me, no matter how much she tried. I had forced myself to let go of Edward's hands and only gripped her forearms, feeling comfort in her strength as my nails dug into her warm skin as each wave of pain crashed into me.

The time went by agonizingly slow, though I had only been in labor for about seven hours. As my mental contraction clock ran out, I braced myself for the next contraction, but instead of feeling the familiar yet always foreign agony consume me, I felt something else. The pain was there—as rampant and horrible as before—but it felt different; it was no longer just agonized, seemingly meaningless pain.

"Mom," I gasped as I internally clenched and fought the feeling, too scared to do anything and potentially hurt the baby. My mother, who had helped countless mothers deliver, grasped my meaning, seeing my expression. At once, she was alert.

"Okay, Ila, okay. You're okay," she assured me as I cried out in pain again. My body was protesting my refusal and I felt my body trembling.

"Don't push yet, baby. Hold on," she instructed me. I inhaled and exhaled rapidly, trying to listen to her but I was sweating and panting with the effort. Without really thinking about it, she swiftly examined me again, inserting two fingers gently.

"She's full dilated," she said to Rose and Edward. Edward caught on simultaneously, taking both of my hands and lifting me into a more upright position while Rose moved all the medical equipment closer to Mother, who pulled on a fresh set of gloves.

"Ok, Ila, when you feel the urge, push for me, honey," she told me. I nodded my head silently, which was against Edward's chest. He held his arms out and I laced my fingers with his. Rose wiped my face again to relieve me of the copious amounts of sweat and tears on my face, taking another cloth and wiping down my bent legs, trying in vain to make me feel more comfortable. The contractions were only forty-five seconds apart now and, just as the words left my mother's mouth, I was pushing. Her fingers inside me once again, my mother stared at nothing in particular as she examined me further, searching for whatever it was she was looking for. Her head snapped up suddenly to look at me and fear drenched me like a bucket of ice water.

"What?" I choked out. Edward's and Rose's eyes were on her as well.

"It's okay," she calmed us but I was not appeased until her next words came out. "The baby turned." she explained. Her expression was surprised, but pleasantly so.

"How?" I finally gasped out after an eighth of a second of shocked silence. My mother shook her head, a small smile of her lips.

"It just happens sometimes. Babies can turn while in labor. Regardless, he or she is not breeched anymore, and this will be much easier, for both of you," she said. I felt a short sigh of relief from Edward behind me and I felt a small pang of comfort as well. But it was short lived as another contraction came on. My mother removed her fingers, moving alongside me again. Removing her right glove, she took my hand from Edward, her left arm over my left leg, keeping a hand there to guide the baby's progression.

"Push, Bela," she said and I obeyed. I had unconsciously believed that pushing would relieve some of the pain from the contractions but they in fact did the opposite. They contractions were practically on top of each other now, one after another coming head on without a break. I pushed with as much strength as I had left but I felt weak and exhausted. They encouraged me though, reassuring me with small words or touches of praise. Rosalie and Edward continued encouraging me to push and I could hear the smiles on their faces as they did so. They spoke to me, telling me they could see the head. After what seemed like forever but probably wasn't, my mother spoke.

"The head's crowning," she announced to no one in particular, a smile in her voice and on her face. "You're doing beautiful, sweetheart. Keep pushing," she praised me. I felt her hand there, guiding the baby's head.

"You're doing amazing, love. I love you so much," Edward echoed her in my ear. His voice was full of pride and unyielding joy. The encouragement in his words was infectious and I found myself pulling nonexistent strength from my body to continue to bear down. I could feel the head as it slowly emerged from my body, a feeling that was so foreign but yet familiar, even instinctual. A new, searing pain came with it though and I choked out a sob.

"Ahhhh. It burns," I half-moaned, half-cried.

"I know, honey. It's okay. It's almost over. Then your baby will be in your arms." she reminded me. I clamped my eyes shut, pushing over and over again. My mother's voice suddenly lashed out, sharp and alert.

"Stop, Ila, stop pushing," she said, her voice intense. My breath caught abruptly from shock at her unexpected outburst. She pulled her hand from mine, moving herself completely in front of me. I struggled to stop pushing, to obey her, but my body was not cooperating. It was as if my body's natural instincts had taken over and I was a mere passenger, unable to take control and stop it. I started to panic and she felt that.

"Ila, look at me," she said. I did, my eyes full of fear, fatigue, and pain.

"Focus on me, Ila. The head is coming too fast; you're going to tear if you push. Don't push; relax your muscles and breathe. Breathe rather than push. That's it. Good girl," she praised me as I fought and felt my body respond. I breathed as she told me to, leaning back into Edward as much as possible.

"There. That's it, darling, breathe it out," my mother continued to speak softly, soothingly. I felt her fingers on me, and a small whimper escaped my lips as the head fully emerged.

"Good, love. You're doing so good," Edward murmured, ever strong and supportive in my ear. I felt a smile on his face as he whispered to me. "Our baby's right there, love. He's coming, Bela. You're being so strong. You're doing so well. I love you so much." I felt his lips against my skin as he spoke.

I felt my body pause as it and my mother worked simultaneously. I felt the head turn automatically, my mother's fingers there as she guided the movement, clearing the baby's airways with a bulb quickly with her other hand. I felt an urge to push and my mother spoke before I could.

"Ok, Ila. The hardest part is over. A couple more pushes and he'll be out," she promised. I steeled myself, letting Rose wipe my face once more before clamping down on Edward's hands. I pushed with the contractions, moaning as the pain escalated.

"Keep going, baby, keep pushing," she encouraged. I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed once more.

Everything happened at once. I felt the release of the pain and urges as the shoulders and torso slipped out of me. The suddenness of it confused me but I didn't have time to process it as I heard a shocked scream and a warm, struggling body was placed on my chest. My arms automatically curled around it and my eyes opened, panting and leaning my head against Edward's throat.

"It's a girl," my mother said as she leaned back from transferring the baby to my arms. She was smiling warmly, a gleam in her eyes that I had not seen in a while. It was the same expression she used to have all the time when I was with her, the proud and maternal look she gave whenever she talked about me or watched me. It was a look of true, genuine happiness. I couldn't help but return the smile as I looked down at my daughter. Edward's arms were under mine, his head on my shoulder as we stared down at her. Mother had wrapped her in a soft but sterile towel and she was wiggling around slightly, still shocked from the drastic temperature change. I reached out with my finger and grazed the side of her cheek with my fingertip. Her tiny body shuddered and, after squeezing her eyes shut tightly, opened them for the first time.

Deep purple stared back at me, her irises the color of violet, bottomless and enchanting. She stared back up at us, eyes wide. She began to cry suddenly and my body locked, startled and worried. My mother laughed softly before reaching over the baby in my arms and pulled on the spaghetti tank top I wore, snapping the strap in two. I understood then, folding the fabric away from my right breast, the one closer to her head. I moved her closer and her mouth pressed to my skin instinctually, searching until she latched onto my nipple. She began to nurse and I sighed, leaning back into Edward, staring down at her in mesmerization.

She was here; she was finally here, and perfectly healthy.

Staring down at her, the whole world seemed to shift, the whole universe turning on its axis. She was at the center, my daughter. She was the world to me, and I now understood the adoration and extreme love my mother had for me. Nothing mattered more in the world other than her. And, in that instant, several realizations came to me.

I wouldn't have to choose between my mother and Edward. Before, they were the most important and crucial people in my life, and having to pick one over the other would most likely kill me. But I wouldn't choose, because I would have to choose my daughter. The two of them were still necessary for me to live, but they had moved down one step. My daughter, the tiny baby I held in my arms, was my priority. I needed her as much as she needed me. I would always love Edward and my mother more than the entire world, and they would forever and always come before my own life, but my daughter came before them. It was simple fact, and one that I now understood.

But, more so than that, I understood my mother's actions to protect me, to shield me and hide me away from the world we lived in, the world I grew up in. Looking down at my daughter, I wanted nothing more than to go, to run far away to escape the apocalyptic problems we—and now she—were facing now. I have lived my life knowing each day I awake may be my last. That is the price I pay for being how I am.

But, as I fed my daughter her first meal, I felt a overwhelming and crippling wave of fear for her safety, scared I wouldn't be able to protect her. She was a Sanralae, the next Heir of the Sanralae. Now I understand the true, lethal weight of my family's name, as it bears down on those I love more than my own life. As I stare down at the tiny infant in my arms, I feel guilt as massive as the universe, and terror larger than that, from placing the pressure of our family name on my baby's shoulders. The crumbling fear overcame me and I felt incapable of speech. But then Edward squeezed me tighter. I took one hand and squeezed his arm around me in response. We were together; we were okay, at least in this moment.

So I let myself be okay, I let myself be happy as I welcomed my daughter into the world, her amethyst eyes staring back at me.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! So I'm in-between classes right now so I figured I would upload this chapter for you! I have had it for a little while but I was waiting for more people to follow Amethyst so more of you could see it when I upload it!**

 **Hope you enjoyed it! More to come! Please tell me what you think!**

 **IMPORTANTE: No one ever told me what they thought about writing a Life and Death-inspired story! Please let me know! It would be in the Twilight Universe but with Life and Death character Edythe! :) :)**

 **ALSO, many people have been asking me to continue "My Daughter". I noted in the AN at the end of the story that it will not be continued; it was merely a one shot that been in my head for a while and I wanted to post it. There is no back story to it or any specific plot. My other stories are somewhat similar to "My Daughter" and so I encourage you to check them out!**

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 **I love you all! Hope this chapter made you happy! Another will be up soon!**

 **~Melinda :)**


	5. Break

Chapter 5: Break

* * *

Her name was Iria, meaning "light".

Edward named her; well, he asked us what the translation the word "light" would be in our vampiric language. Literally, the word translates to "iraiya" but the name becomes Iria. It was a name fit for her; she was our light, our only guide out of the darkness of the vampire world crashing down around us. Edward had called her "light" when he had found out I was pregnant and it had never been truer than the night she was born.

My mother was very meticulous about us. Only a few minutes after Iria was born, I could feel pain again. I looked up at my mother, panicked, but her smile was calming and slightly bemused.

"It's the placenta, Ila. You're alright," she promised. I sighed and nodded. She had reached out and began massaging my abdomen gently. It was not exactly soothing but not especially uncomfortable, not compared to what I had just endured. After another couple of minutes, Mom instructed Edward to take the baby. I handed her over to her father, reluctant to let go of her but knowing I needed to focus on the task at hand. I followed my mother's instructions, pushing again with each contraction. These pushes were nothing compared to birthing Iria, and it was a relief.

The placenta was delivered a couple of minutes later. Mother asked Edward if he wanted to cut the cord and he nodded, handing Iria back to me. I couldn't help but feel a little lost when he cut the umbilical cord expertly, severing the connection between me and my daughter. But feeling her in my arms melted those feelings instantly. Once Mother and Rose had taken care of the afterbirth, I insisted that she tend to Iria before me and she complied, checking all her vitals and airways. She informed us happily that she was perfectly healthy. She laid the newborn in her father's arms before going to me. I had torn a bit but other than that, I was fine, besides being exhausted. She told me to rest, and I tried to listen, but I couldn't keep my eyes off Iria for long. She was staring at everything, mesmerized by the faces of me, Edward, Rose, and Mom. She wiggled around in the blanket she was wrapped in and Mom advised changing her into clothes to help keep her warm.

Edward and Rose did that, as Mom would not let me get up yet. Disgruntled, I complied, only once they clothed her right next to me on the bed, my head next to hers. I kissed her little fist as she moved and she stared at me with wide eyes. After she had been donned in a simple white onesie and diaper, Edward transferred her back to me, knowing I was missing her even though she hadn't really gone anywhere. Holding my baby in my arms with my mate besides me, I was perfectly content to never move ever again in my life.

* * *

Iria was a week old and was growing as if before our eyes. She was already very intelligent and had everyone wrapped around her little finger. The entire family was consumed by her, loving her and protecting her. Everyone was happy, euphoric even, because of her, the one good thing that had happened in the past few months. Everyone was relieved she and I were both okay due the risk of the pregnancy, and her arrival had a noticeable effect on everyone, Mother, in particular. She dotted on Iria as would be expected of a grandmother—though she doesn't like to be called that, making it the butt of the jokes by Jasper, Emmett, and Eli—but it went deeper than that. There was a pride there and awe, for the continuing the family line. For most of the her life, she had never dreamed she would have a child; and then she had me. And, even then, she never dreamed it would go beyond that, that she could become a grandmother to begin with. The impossibility, the magic, of it changed her, as it did for everyone. We were in our own bubble, caught up in our own world, as if nothing existed outside the bay of Neverland.

If only it were that easy.

Cylis visited us, informing Mother of the growing threat. The Vercrian had grown further, infiltrating and overpowering the Volturi; Jane and Alec were dead, as was Caius. The guard was forced to end their loyalty to Aro. Mother was right; there was a person leading the Vercrian, a leader, who apparently dwelled in the Volturi lair. We didn't know who he or she was or what the motives were but, regardless, it would not be good. The entire vampire world was now aware of the stirrings going on and the legends of the Sanralae and Vercrian were starting to be broached, though no one wanted to believe them. Twelve thousands years of secrecy were falling apart at the seams before our eyes, hidden away with nothing we could do about it.

Mother and Cylis were discussing possible outcomes, everyone else filling in the background. I sat off to the side, holding a sleeping Iria in my arms, rocking her gently. Edward sat behind me, his arms wrapped under mine. He could feel the tension in my body and was giving me gentle kisses on my neck, though they didn't calm me. I looked down at Iria, fear overcoming me to the point of breakdown. The emotions affected her and she wriggled in her sleep, her eyes opening. I murmured to her softly, a low lullaby my mother sang to me as a baby. She yawned, her eyes slipping closed again, her little fists falling to my bare chest.

I froze, nearly dropping her. Edward called my name in shock, holding his arms protectively over me and Iria. Everyone's eyes darted to us, but I couldn't see anything beyond that.

The moment Iria's hand had touched my skin, my face and eyes were reflected back at me, my expression troubled. I could see Edward behind me, and the blurring of the background images into just colors. It was like looking in a mirror from where Iria lay in my arms and see a clip of what had just occurred before my daughter had fallen asleep. It drifted away after a moment and I could see the room just before, the faces of my family concerned, most of all Mom's. She was kneeling in front of me, her hands on my legs.

"I just saw…" I didn't know how to explain it. I looked down at Iria again, diverting peacefully. I shook my head to clear it before continuing.

"I just saw myself. She…she showed it to me…" I said in wonder, staring down at my daughter. I looked up at Mother, who looked as if she was going over it in her mind.

"That may be one of her abilities, like a vampiric talent. To reflect memories through touch," I murmured, looking back at Edward. He nodded, his eyes wide. Mother seemed to agree. I heard Edward and Carlisle ask me to describe it some more but I didn't answer; the pinching feeling was suddenly there, along with the building pain.

"Edward, take the baby," I spoke low and quick, transferring Iria to his arms before falling forward, gripping my mother's wrists for support as the pain overcame me and the familiar feeling of deja vu took hold, my eyes blurring and the memory taking its place, identical to the one I'd had before.

I saw the room before me, but from 18 years before, the French doors that opened out onto the beach. It was dark outside, unlike in reality, and I saw my human mother sleeping soundly in the large bed in the middle of the room.

I looked up at my father's cobalt blue eyes, full of love, his smile gleaming as he reached and gently moved the blanket away from my face. I made a small sound in my throat, a cross between a gurgle and a hiss, causing his smile to widen.

" _I love you, Ila, my little Bela_ ," he whispered quietly, looking up to my mother for a moment before returning his attention to me. I made a gurgling sound and he pressed his lips to my small forehead delicately.

" _I love you with all my heart, my little one, and it is because of that that I must go. I love you and your mother more than my own life, and I will always miss you. I hope you will miss me, and remember me, when the time is right. You will know when that is, and when you do, you will find your way back here, to the place of your birth, and your mother's. You will know, my Bela. Trust in that, and in my love for you._ "

He said the words again as he had before, but this time he did not stop there.

" _When the time is right to come to me, you will know where I will be, for I will show you this memory in full, and my location will be recalled to you. But until then it will be locked up in your mind for safekeeping, my little one, to protect you until you can protect yourself. I do this for you and for your mother. Come to me, Ila, when it is ready for you to do so._ " He whispered to me softly, placing another kiss on my forehead. I felt the memory dissipate into nothing and my vision returned. I leaned back from my mother, but my eyes were still distant. I looked up at her sharply, and she was gazing back, surprised at the abruptness. I darted away quickly, going to the dresser where my father's book lay since our last fruitless session of decoding.

"We were looking at the words wrong before," I said as I brought back to the bed. Mother moved to sit next to me, watching me as I flipped through the pages. The others crowded around me, curious on my new revelation.

"The symbols are in the vampiric language but the letters are not. The code is not so simplistic as one letter equals another or other such things. It has multiple levels of encryption, superior to a modern day computer's firewall, to keep the meaning secret." I looked up at them all, but they seemed very confused.

"Why would he make such a complex code if he gave no way to decipher it?" Alice asked.

"He did," Mother said, her eyes on me, her mind beginning to catch up. I nodded.

"When Iria touched me, her gift caused another round of deja vu through my brain, unlocking the rest of the memory. He told me the code, the night I was born, but locked the memory down for my safety. So even if someone tortured it out of me, they wouldn't get it. And he made the code so complicated, not even a vampire could read it," I said.

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked. I looked up at them all.

"There's 548 levels of the code, translating from the symbols of the ancient Sanskrit and Sumerian languages and the vampiric language to those like English and Italian that didn't exist at the time. It goes from one language to the next, flipping randomly and spastically back and forth. He gave me the order of translations, but even I can't pinpoint the exact order; the memory is buried back deep in my subconscious deliberately that way. I just know it so I can decipher it." I looked back down at the book, flipping back to the cover, where a few lines were written on the inside cover.

"I can read it," I said, my fingertips running over the symbols.

" _For my newborn daughter Ila, and my love Nila, for you two have made me the best version of myself,_ " I murmured, looking up at Mother. Her eyes were wide.

"What does it say?" Cylis asked urgently.

"Read it, Ila," Mother encouraged. I looked down at the book, flipping to the first page. I read quickly; now that the code was branded in my mind, it was easy to translate, like a linguist reading a book in a language he studied to be fluent in. My eyes grew wider and wider as I continued.

"What is it, Ila?" Mother said, her voice intense and stressed.

"It says everything. Everything about us, about vampires. It's our history, with Calix and the Sanralae. It explains our diets, our abilities. It talks about how we hide from humans and even the possibilities of his abilities could be, impossible things like levitation and reversing time. He figured it all out, down to a science. It's a working manual on vampires." I looked up at everyone. Their expressions showed they were still trying to grasp it all.

"If someone got a hold of this book, they could control the Sanralae," I said, looking up at Mother.

"And, by extent, the entire vampire world," she added grimly. I nodded then looked toward Edward where he sat behind us on the bed with Iria in his arms. He handed her to me without a word, wrapping his arms around me gently as I pressed her to my chest protectively. I back down at the pages, flipping through them with one hand while holding Iria with the other; she was tiny enough and I was strong enough that I could without difficulty.

The book was surreal; here were step by step instructions on how to potentially control the weather, how to reverse the Earth's rotation, how to basically teleport from place to place, how to reverse the fate of someone on death's door. It even speaks about reversing vampiric transformation in extreme detail, for both normal vampires and for the Vercrian. The potential to reverse the Vercrian back to their original states; I reread the instructions, just to commit them to memory more so than the others'.

"Ila," Mom said after a moment. I looked up, confused.

"I can't feel you at all," she said. My eyebrows pulled together and reached to feel her in my mind, but I couldn't. I actively reached out for her, but the band snapped back unexpectedly, keeping the separation.

"It won't let me connect again," I said, frustrated as I shook my head to clear it of the uncomfortable feeling. She shook her head as well, before sighing.

"Ila," she said again, her voice taking on a different tone, of almost longing.

"Does the book say where he is?" she asked. I shook my head automatically. I knew that without having to go through it. Her face fell, though was resigned, as if she expected as much.

"It didn't need to." I continued. She looked back at me, surprise in her eyes, as well as everyone else's. "He told me where he is."

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long! If you saw my other story,** ** _Edythe_** **, you'll know it's because of school; bad excuse, I know, but that's all I've got! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and are waiting for more!**

 **Please review! I love to hear your comments!**

 **Also, please check out my new story** ** _Edythe_** **; it's kind of a crossover with** **Twilight** **and** **Life and Death** **:)**

 **Love you all!**

 **~Melinda :)**


	6. Mountain

Chapter 6: Mountain

* * *

The Camaro was quiet as it sped down through the mountainous region of the Italian border at more than a hundred miles an hour. The Alps were tipped in snow at their peaks, and the green expanse that lay beneath them would have made the view worth much more than the glance we were giving it. I drove one of the Camaro's, leading the way for Mother and Cylis in the other cars. Edward sat in the passenger seat, cradling Iria in his arms. She was awake and watched the outside world with fascination, and I couldn't help but reach across to stroke her cheek every now and then.

I didn't need to focus on the road, though I was not completely sure where we were going; I trusted my instincts though, and followed them. The location I had been given from my father was blazing in the back of my mind, fueling and guiding my direction. No one spoke; no one knew what to say. They were all anxious, and curious, and scared. It had been the first time we had been off the island since the overpower of the Volturi, nearly a month ago, and I could tell the vampires were very nervous about the proximity to Volterra.

The road twisted further and further until it was no longer a road, and I maneuvered through the thick, snowy terrain as we went deeper and deeper into the mountains, out of sight of the sun and all known civilization. Not even animals lived this far into the wilderness. I could feel the uncertainty of everyone around me, and many of them were debating on asking to turn back, that this couldn't be right, but they abstained. Within another mile, there was a small clearing that ended in the face of one of the gigantic mountains. I stopped the car and got out, going around to the trunk to get another blanket to wrap Iria in; it was much colder here than it had been on the outside of the mountain range. Edward held her while I wrapped her in it, taking her from me again as planned. It hurt me to not be able to hold her when I needed the support, but I had no idea what we would face and Mother and I and perhaps Cylis were the most capable ones for defense, meaning my hands had to be free. The Cullens and Eli were instructed to run when danger came, because the danger that faced us now was above anything else they had ever encountered. This was not a fight, they could win.

Mother came to my side as the others followed behind, Cylis taking up the rear. I stepped toward the huge rock. I laid my hand against it, running my palm along the rough surface, feeling for the right pressure. They all watched me, skeptical. Minutes went by with no progress.

"Ila, what are you looking for?" Mother asked. I didn't answer. My fingers rans along another slice of the mountain and stopped; I felt the tingle in my fingers, the different texture underneath them. Swiftly, my fingers dug into the massive rock and everyone jumped as the rock shattered under my strength; a deep divot was formed and I brushed away the snow and excess stone to reveal the hole. I slide my hand in and grasped the tiny washer-shaped screw at the bottom, its hole no bigger than my ring finger. I inserted my finger and pulled back lightly, though the lock was designed to be too strong for even someone like Emmett to break. But it slide home easily and a narrow crack in the side of the mountain opened, just big enough for a person to slide in. I did so and, their eyes wide, everyone followed.

The inside tunnel was dark at first, but warm. We followed the path, our footsteps making no sound. As we went another fifty yards, lights on the floor began to illuminate our path, until overhead lights joined them. We were only a couple hundred yards into the mountain when we came to a thick steel door with a double key pad lock. Everyone stopped and looked to me as I stepped up to the key pads and punched in the numbers expertly, one with each hand. The door slide up with a groan, showing it had been a while since anyone had used it. We stepped through into a bright white hallway, almost like a hospital, with smooth floors and modern lights above us. The biggest difference between this tunnel and the previous one was the people. A young man wearing an all-black uniform standing right by the door, almost like a guard, looked up in surprise. He took in the entire party, his eyes taking in the Order badge on Cylis' arm, but his eyes finally rested on Mother and I. We wore identical black outfits, long black pants with boots and sleeveless shirts, cut tight and short for easy movement. He took in the tattoos branded into our hands, the mark of the Sanralae.

I nodded at him silently, a small smile on my lips, and he complied, his eyes wide. He understood, his eyes appraising me and Mother in shock and obvious awe. We began walking again, following the path directly. The man began following behind us. We past more people, a couple here and there, both male and female, all dressed in similar dark uniforms. They all stared at us in surprise, and even more so when they took in our clothing, our tattoos. They complied with the first guard, following behind us noiselessly. We finally came to a sliding door, also locked with double key pads. I opened them quickly—of course, these keypads had different codes than the first set—and the door slid open on a massive floor with a huge amount of people. The portion closest to the door all glanced up at the large crowd and their expression froze as they took Mother and I in. They stopped what they were doing to watch us as we continued down the central aisle, the stares growing as we did so.

The room was filled with tables and computers and all sorts of things and I could see doors at either end that went off into other areas of the base. Everyone in the room held the Order's emblem on their uniforms. At the far end of the room was another door with another, singular key pad. Everyone's eyes were on our group as we made our way through; when Mother or I made contact, they responded with a slightly bow of their heads, which we nodded to. I stopped about three quarters of the way down as I spotted a familiar face. The woman was watching us, just as everyone else had, but she did not understand why I was staring back at her. I stepped toward her, watching her yellow eyes widen further.

"You're Davian's mother, aren't you?" I murmured to her. She nodded silently as she bowed her head, both in reverence at me but also for the loss of her son.

"I'm sorry for taking him from you. He was an amazing boy," I said, my voice emotional. She nodded, her smile genuine despite the tears running down her face.

"He loved the Order, and the Sanralae. He died doing what he loved," she whispered; her voice cracking. Mom came to us then, reaching out and taking her hand.

"What is your name?" she asked. Davian's mother seemed shocked beyond belief for her to be so close. She bowed her head again.

"My name is Malachia, Ralae," she told her. Mother smiled and squeezed her hand lightly.

"Her son helped save my and my daughter's lives. He was a dear friend to my Ila. He will be remembered forever in the Order ranks for his spirit and youth," she assured her. Malachia sniffed and nodded. Mom encased her in a hug as the woman cried through her thanks and pain. I looked around, and everyone in the room, all the Order members, both the sadness and awe on their face for Davian's—and so many others'—death and for the Sanralae presence. They believed our arrival was fate, and the first sign of hope in this apocalyptic darkness. As I was scanning the room, I heard the keypad on the door beep and everyone turned to watch as the other door at the end of the room slide open. The person stood before the room, taking in every face before landing on our group, Mother and I last of all. His skin was healthily tanned, like ours, the strength evident in the bands of muscle beneath his shirt at his ribs. The shirt was cut sleeveless and the black venom tattoo on his upper right arm was prominent against his skin. His hair was dark with the hint of red that I got from him, his deep cobalt eyes blazing as he took us in.

My father said nothing as he stood before me, for the first time ever. I watched his eyes on Mother and hers on him. He took a step toward her first before she met the rest of the way. She reached out hesitantly to him, her fingers trembling, afraid to believe. He took her hand and kissed her fingers, her palm, and then the back of her hand. She moved it to touch his cheek, curling her fingers into his hair.

" _Zakali_ ," she murmured softly. Her tone showed she couldn't to believe he was standing before her. He smoothed the soft flow of tears coming from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips.

" _I'm here, Nila, my love_ ," he answered. She sniffed quietly and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in a sweet kiss which he gave back. I couldn't help but smile at the emotions coming off them and their reunion. It wasn't a typical love relationship between parents, or even between any normal couple. It was a relationship that latest through the darkest hell and the brightest light, that held through the worst and the best, for twelve thousand years. But even a mere eighteen years was along time for both of them, and everyone in the room felt the power of that and enjoyed the reunion almost as much as they did. After a few moments of being in their own world, they separated and Mother looked over her shoulder to e, lifting her hand to bring me closer. I hesitantly came closer; I honestly had never thought this moment through, of meeting my father for the first time since the night I was born. I was nervous despite the connection I already felt between us and my eyes casted to him shyly as I approached. I let him take me in his arms and he kissed the top of my head.

" _Ila, my Bela. You've grown up to be as beautiful as your mother. And as amazing as well. You found my book and my memory,_ " he murmured to me. I could feel the eyes on us and Mom's hands on my back, her own tears still spilling over. I nodded to his statement, still unsure of what to do.

" _I want you to know I never wanted to leave you or your mother. I loved you the moment you were born and every moment since,_ " his words and the tone of his voice showed his own emotion. I could feel the outskirts of his mind and it was filled with love and relief and hope. I clung to him tighter, hugging him back. He responded to that, pulling me to him as much as could while also pulling Mother to him as well. He held onto us with each of his arms, kissing Mother on the cheek and me on the forehead.

" _My girls_ ," he whispered to us. Mother buried her head into his shoulder to try to stop the tears, her hand running down my hair comfortingly. I gripped onto both of them with my fingers and they held me, our family together for the first time in eighteen years.

* * *

 **Hi everyone! Here's another chapter for you! Hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **Thank you for the reviews! They really make my day, especially in the onset of finals! I have my last today, and then I will be free!**

 **By the way, the pronunciation of Iria is "I—REE—ah" :)**

 **The Sanralae is finally reunited; but now that they're all in one place, that makes them an easy target…..what will happen next? ;)**

 **Love you all!**

 **~Melinda :)**


	7. Mutation

Chapter 7: Mutation

* * *

Our group was ushered through the next set of doors, guarded by the Order. We weaved deeper into the Order's headquarters, finally arriving at a large open room, filled with couches and tables and electronics. From the amount of saturation of my father's scent in this room, it was obvious this was where he had spent the last eighteen years.

The Cullens and I settled on or around the couches, Edward transferring Iria to my arms and wrapping his arms around both of us as I rocked her gently, my nose grazing along her cheek, needing to comfort myself with her proximity. I could sense my parents standing at the far end of the room and glanced up to them. My mother faced my father, her hand on the side of his throat, murmuring to him what had happened since she had found me. I could feel the grip of grief at Amba's death and I had to fight my own tears. But she ended on Iria and Father turned his gaze toward where I sat in Edward's arms, cradling the small bundle.

He stepped toward us and a half-second later, was besides the couch, Mother standing behind him with her hands on his shoulders. He sat on the edge of the couch next to me and I shifted to allow him to see Iria. His breath hitched as he took in his granddaughter, the smile on his and Mother's face radiant. He kissed my forehead affectionately and gripped Edward's shoulder tightly. Edward nodded at him, both in respect and in understanding. On a whim, I shifted my grip on Iria, pressing her to Father's chest. He took her automatically, cradling her cautiously. She was awake and she smiled up at him, her toothless grin making him smile wider. He bounced her unconsciously and she let out a little gurgle that had everyone smiling.

"I have seen anything so precious since you were born, Ila," he told me softly. I smiled softly, leaning back into Edward's embrace. He held her for a minute longer before giving her back. He hunched over, balancing his elbows on his knees, his head dropping. Mother sat besides him, her hand running through his hair at the base of his neck while the other touched his forearm. He took a deep breath, exhaling in a long sigh, the sound filled with exhaustion and forlorn depression. My body tensed, knowing that what he was going to tell us was not going to be good. Father stood, going to the desk that stood by the large window in the room. The window overlooked the entirety of the headquarters, looking down on the entire Salarian Order from above. He forced another breath before speaking.

"Danger is coming," he stated, matter-of-fact. No one spoke, allowing him to continue.

"Our sources, the Order members that have embarked, have found that there is a leader among the Vercrian. A being who knows about us, our deepest secrets. He, or she, stays hidden, allowing the newly changed Vercrian do the dirty work. Their numbers are growing, and there are so many Order members that have perished. But this….this is the worst." He stopped short, the emotion emanating from him coming off him in painful waves. Mother went to him, a hand on his back as he bowed over the desk, bracing his hands on the wood as if he might collapse from the weight of the information.

" _Tell us, Zakali_ ," she murmured, her eyes intense. They exchanged a look, words flying between them so fast even I could not comprehend it. Father reached out to grip Mother's hand firmly as he looked up at me.

"Our sources tell us the Vercrian have gotten a hold of something which will make their victory that much easier and quicker. Something that would tip the scales in their favor, something that would seal their fate as rulers of the human and vampire world. Something that the world is not ready for," he passed a moment.

"What?" someone asked; I didn't look behind me to know who.

"Ila's blood. They have it, somehow, and the leader has drank it. In doing so, they have created a new being, a super-Vercrian if you will. The leader, who was before more than capable of defeating the Order, has just gotten himself the most dangerous weapon on the planet. And he or she is going to use it against us."

* * *

It didn't seem real, any of it. Everything was like a blur. Immediately, after hearing the words, my mind had backtracked, reversing as if rewinding a cassette tape, going through all my memories, trying to determine where the lapse had occurred that would result in this catastrophe. There was only one time that my blood could have been brought to the surface of my body and I felt a cold tremor of fear as I recalled it.

The day we ran, the day we tried to escape under the cover of night, the night Kate, Eleazar, Davian, and Amba had lost their lives.

I had been thrown from the car, the vehicle being the victim of a Vercrian shoving it with all its might. Looking back, I remember physical pain, but no blood; at least, none significant enough that I recall. But that night was a blur in many ways and crystal clear in others and I realized that the parts I remembered clearly—Amba, lying on the ground; the Vercrian everywhere; Davian's blood on my lips—were all incidental when I looked now. I didn't remember if I had been careful that night, or if I made sure anyone else was. I know the Order had gotten ride of the evidence, the bodies, the mangled Camaro's. I figured my blood, if there had been any, would have been disposed of too.

But obviously not; my blood was volatile, and would probably withstand bleach and any other chemical it interacted with.

But it might have mixed with the other Order members' in the battle; there was no logical to be able to differentiate between mine and others', aside from its above supernatural characteristics.

But anyone wanting to have my blood would not risk tampering with it to make sure it was mine before they collected it.

Meaning, someone had to have been there, watching the entire seen unfold, keeping the physical and mental shadows so none of us could feel his or her presence. He or she would have seen my blood being spilled, known its location, and stayed until the Order members were done, or even killed a few in the process, whether to keep form my blood being tainted by chemicals, or for the pleasure of it. It didn't matter the method though; all that mattered was the outcome. The Vercrian had my blood, and had used it to make the most dangerous creature on the face of the Earth, more dangerous than the Vercrian army itself. A mutant, a monster of the most despicable being alive, combined with my lethal and powerful blood. Satan himself could not have come up with a better option.

I was in the basement of the headquarters, my mother alongside me as we poured over microscopes and balances and all other scientific equipment at our disposal. A small drop of my blood lay in the center of a metallic slide, reflecting its components onto a hologram in the center of the table. We had been staring at it for a long time, and neither of us were any closer to discerning any useful information about it. It looked no different than any regular blood sample; it had erythrocytes and all other typical components, combined with hematocytes, specialized cells present in the venom of vampires and in the blood of the Sanralae. It is what gives us our natural vampiric tendencies, drinking blood or otherwise. All things present are expected and identical to my parents. We could find no connection, nothing amiss that could pinpoint the evidence of my blood's fatal capabilities, let alone how it worked.

"This isn't getting us anywhere," I growled, frustrated. I began to pace, my mother's eyes following me as I moved about the room anxiously.

"Growling at it won't make it any better," she commented. I swiveled, my eyes flashing in anger at her.

"I can do without the sarcasm," I spat. She moved from her position, shifting from leaning back in the chair to planting her feet on the floor, her elbows on her knees, watching my face intently, her own expression smooth. I exhaled angrily.

"I'm sorry, Mother, but you can't say now that this isn't my fault," I said, resuming my pacing.

"You can't hold yourself responsible for this, Ila. You didn't know," she said.

"I should have! I should have kept track of my blood! I know how dangerous it is!"

"You're not infallible," she said. Her words stayed low as mine increased, her calm counteracting my anger. I threw my hands up, my fingertips going to my temple.

"I'm going to get everyone here killed," I murmured. My mind was buzzing, going as fast as was possible. My mother stayed silent, waiting for me to calm down, which I couldn't do. Resolve began to form in my mind, and I looked up.

"I need to go," I said tersely, shoving back from the glass wall I was leaning against. Immediately, Mother was in front of me.

"No," she said simply, her eyes hard. She positioned her body between me and the door and I knew I would have to fight her to leave. She knew my intentions, and had no intention of letting me go anywhere.

"You know that I'm what they want," I said, my voice hard.

"And you'll get yourself killed in the process," she retorted.

"It's my choice," I said, making a move to get around her. She blocked me, holding me in place.

"No, it's not," she snapped.

"It's my life, Mother," I snarled. She didn't flinch, her mind as resolved as mine.

"But it isn't, Ila. It has never been just your life. It is the life of every single vampire on this Earth. It is the fate of the entire vampire race!" her voice betrayed her control, and I saw her calm slipping.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," I quoted sourly. She hissed at me.

"Going there, serving yourself on a silver platter to the Vercrian, will do nothing! You really think they will stop with you?" She snarled. Her eyes were red, all trace of blue in them gone. I glared at her fiercely, but backed down, her words taking purchase in my mind. After a moment, she softened, seeing she had made me seen some semblance of reason. She reached out and squeezed me tightly.

"We will figure this out," she promised, tucking my head under her chin. I sighed, not quite believing her.

The moment was brought to a close as, abruptly, the entire basement was filled with sirens, the monotonous alarm ringing through the dungeon-like space, the blaring noise making us cover our eyes for a moment. The Order members outside the laboratory were scrambling, as we could see through the glass walls. Mother leapt to the doorway, flinging it open and demanding information. They all turned to her, unsure of what to say. She barked an order, her eyes serious.

"There's trouble on the floor. Something's happened," one of them said. His walkie-talkie was at his ear, talking to someone above us.

"What?" Mother demanded. The soldier didn't speak for a moment, listening before freezing.

"Rylin's gone. He's been captured."

* * *

 **Hi! Sorry it's been so long!**

 **I've been taking a break from Neverland and Amethyst focusing on some other stories (and life, of course!) but I have finally gotten my drive back to finish this story to its end, as I love this story so much and know there are many of you who want to see this through!**

 **So, here's the next chapter for you! If this chapter upset you, I will give you fair warning: it's about to get worse; so you may want to keep a few tissues nearby when you read. I already know the next chapter is going to make me cry, but you will have to wait and find out! It's already partially written so I'm hoping to have it up soon!**

 **Also, since I forgot to do this the last couple of chapters:**

 **Shoutouts:** **posses45, Marya1918, mistydawn117**

 **VIP:** **sujari6, BridieM, davysekhon, heartstrings13, and MaryMary123 :)**

 **MVP** **: kgarrison3, teamwolfaltw, KAT-TWILIGHT75, and JaelSarjenka :)**

 **Please review, my loves! You know how happy it makes me! :)**

 **~Melinda :)**


	8. Goodbye

Chapter 8: Goodbye

* * *

Sirens blared, red flashing throughout the compound, but I barely saw any of it. Mother and I ran fast out, darting out of the confines of the laboratory in the basement up to the main level. The Order was in a disarray, members running back and forth across the large open space, but we ignored them, heading for the upper floor. A swarm of people were crowded there, the Cullens included. We made toward them; they were huddled around the door to Father's quarters. They split as we made our way through the crowd, my eyes meeting Edward's briefly before I was distracted by what had clearly caused the anarchy.

Mother's hand went to her mouth as she gasped out a strangled cry.

A body was suspended off the ground, held up by thing metal wires that hung down from the ceiling, electrical cables used to connect the various computers and mainframes around the complex. The body was brutally mangled, the normally impenetrable skin reduced to tatters, thick black liquid dripping down the torso and appendages to where one couldn't see the chalky pallor clearly. The eyes were rolled back into the back of the head, lolling to one side and baring the obvious cause of death: the throat ripped from the inside out, the trachea and vocal cords hanging out of the body in a way they were never intended to. The face, though, was what put me over the edge, the face that made Mother cry out and made me feel so nauseous I was sure I would be sick right there.

 _Eliah_.

No one knew what to do, waiting for one of us to act, and merely taking in the scene before them. After I forced my eyes away from Eli's horrified expression, I focused on the symbols written across his bare chest, cut into him with some sort of knife. The venom, acting like blood, dripping from the wounds, but not enough to make them unreadable. The markings were of the Sanralae's language, I recognized, and the mental comparison of learning them as Mother drew them on my palm as a baby versus them now carved into a once-living being made me even more disgusted. I read them on instinct, realizing afterward that I had spoken them aloud.

" _The time has come for the First Vampires to end their reign._

 _The time has come for the Awakened to take their rightful place._

 _The time has come for the prophecy to come to pass._

 _The time has come for the Heir of the Sanralae to meet her fate, or so all those who cherish her will perish at her expense._ "

No one spoke, no one moved. It was if everything were underwater; everything moved in slow motion, and every sound was muffled. The Order was talking rapidly, and I could hear the discussion of a plan to follow the scent of the intruder—obviously the leader of the Vercrian—and to corner him, hoping the mere power of the Order along with the Sanralae would be enough. They mused about using the Cullens, their history, and abilities alone would be an asset if they could be broached to the level of the Vercrian. A few drops of Mother's blood would solve that and they requested her input, hesitating when she did not respond. They debated on whether to jerk her out of her mindset.

"No."

The word came from me, but every eye in the room turned toward me, including Mother. Our eyes locked. Though neither Mother or I had spoken since we had heard the sirens, we didn't need to communicate to each other. The consensus in our minds was enough; we knew what we had to do. I turned toward Aneirin.

"That's enough. This is ending now, one way or another," I told him. The fierceness in my expression, the hardest of my eyes, made it clear what I meant. He spluttered, an unusually thing for the normally disciplined Order members, but it was expected. The Order had been created to protect the Sanralae. Aneirin looked to Mother, hoping to hear reason from her. But she met his gaze evenly.

"Ila is right. Too many have died at your hands, on account of their lives for ours. It is time. Zakali and I did not sit back and let others die for us the first time; I will not allow it now. We will go alone, and finish this ourselves," her voice was calm, but authoritative, a tone she used when she was acting the Sanralae the vampires envision, unyielding, logical, a leader. No one dared to argue with her, but the look that overcame everyone's faces was the same: desolation. They feared for us, but they also feared for themselves. We were their royalty, their rulers, but we also embody the vampire race, a beacon of hope for the entire species. But it is because of that, the pedestal the vampires have put us on, that we must do this. Our lives are tied to the vampires, but our lives mean very little; should we die, the vampires would be free of our shadows. The Order members would have no to protect but themselves; if it had been like that from the beginning, maybe Davian would not have died as he did. But we are releasing that of them now, the Order and all vampires. They cannot protect us anymore.

The need of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Mother moved, stepping away from Eli's body. Her hand lifted before laying it gently against Rosalie's cheek. Rosalie's golden eyes were wide, shaken, as she looked into Nila's face. Mother didn't say anything; there was nothing to be said. Rosalie reached up to grasp the locket around her neck; she held the necklace firmly, both it and the message inside it, the message of her birthright, one she must adopt now. Mother pulled her to her, holding Rosalie in a firm hug for a long second. Slowly, she let her go, her hands falling away. Rosalie nodded once and Mother reciprocated, a small sad, but proud smile on her lips. She had hoped vehemently that this would never happen, that Rosalie would never be forced into her position, but it had come, and there was nothing to be done. My eyes raked over the face of the Cullens, the faces of my family, and I felt my heart twisting in anguish. They all held similar expression as Rosalie, but they were resolved. When they had agreed to come with us, they understood the ramifications of what they had signed up for, and they were taking it head long, stepping up to the plate without a sense of fear for themselves. It was invigorating, and agonizing.

My eyes met Edward's and I stepped away from the crowd, heading toward the door closet to us. He followed silently. No one followed us.

The room was smaller than my Father's office, but it also held a large window that overlooked the main floor of the headquarters. With half my brain, my eyes looked through, down into the complex, watching the faces of the Order members; each held a forlorn look, one haunted by the sadness that had come, and the doom that was pending. I couldn't look for very long; I turned away.

Edward stood in front of me silently, watching me as he held Iria to his chest. She had been startled by the sirens and the screams and the noises, but she was quiet now, sensing the tension and emotion in the air as clearly as anyone. I took a deep breath and stepped toward Edward, my eyes converting what my mouth couldn't. He gently transferred her to my arms, and I cradled her against me, her small ear against my heart. I looked down at my daughter, looking up at me. She was the world to me, my light in all the darkness I had gone through. I looked up at Edward, whose amber eyes met mine, his glazed over with venom tears he could not shed. He was my strength, my driving force to survive as long as I have.

They, my daughter and my mate, were my family. They were my heart, my soul, my everything.

I fought the tears as I delicately kissed my daughter's tiny forehead. My arms tightened for a moment, hugging Iria to my chest for one moment longer. My breathing hitched as I transferred Iria back to Edward's arms. He took her automatically with one hand before pulling me to him almost roughly.

"No." The word was simple, but there was so much emotion behind it that it took my words away from me, not that I knew what to say reagrdless. I could feel his fear, his pain, his determination. I took a small step away from him to lay my hand against his cheek.

"I need to. It's who I am," I told him. He shook his head, pressing his face into my palm. I could feel him trembling under my touch.

"You don't need to do anything, Ila," he argued, but even his voice was weak. He knew I had already made my decision. I smiled sadly as I caressed his cheek with my thumb.

"You know that I do. As you said, this goes beyond just me. It's for the entire vampire world," I reminded him.

"I'll go with you." I shook my head.

"I won't allow Iria to grow up without a parent. If I die, you need to be with her, love her enough for both of us. Promise me," my voice became more forceful, for he had looked away from my gaze, "promise me to stay, to live. For our daughter, and for who we are."

My own tears were brimming in my eyes but I ignored them, my eyes locked on Edward's. I needed him to promise me. I wouldn't leave without him making that vow to me, for my daughter's life and his own. He stared at me a long time, and just as I was about to plead again, he nodded once, solemnly. I sighed deeply then stepped to him. He locked his arm around me, holding me tightly against him. I clung to him, my arms around his neck, my face in his chest. We held each other for a long moment before I turned my head up to kiss him. He kissed me back, and I could feel the goodbye in the feeling. This was it; this was the last time. I didn't know if I would ever kiss him again, if I would ever be in his arms. I didn't know if I would ever hold my daughter again. Those facts swirled inside my head, and I almost changed my mind.

Almost.

I stepped back from him and he cradled Iria to his chest before looking up at me.

"I love you," he said. I smiled slightly.

"I love you." I replied. Then I turned, walking across the room and out the door, away from the two loves of my life.

* * *

 **Hi guys…so, I've had part of this chapter written for a while, but it still messes me up to publish it.**

 **If you haven't already guessed, this story is gradually coming to a close, but I am sorry to say that the gut wrenching chapters are not finished. What is to follow is the climax of Neverland, and it will all change soon.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are actively awaiting more. It hopefully won't be too long a wait…**

 **Let me know what you thought of this chapter in the reviews!**

 **Shoutouts:** **posses45, Marya1918, mistydawn117**

 **VIP:** **sujari6, BridieM, davysekhon, heartstrings13, and MaryMary123 :)**

 **MVP** **: kgarrison3, teamwolfaltw, KAT-TWILIGHT75, and JaelSarjenka :)**

 **~Melinda**


	9. Hell

Chapter 9: Hell

* * *

Mother and I soon left, following the scent backwards to its source, following the trail like moths to a light. We knew this, we understood, but ti made no difference. We were prepared for our lives to end, though not without a fighting chance. The Order had tried to follow us, of course, but we were faster than they were, our lithe and nimble bodies able to dodge and evade our pursuers as they ushered the entire population into the deepest bunker of the Order's headquarters.

The Cullens and Rosalie had taken the administrative roles, and the Order once they had registered we were out of range and had handed our authority to Rosalie. The sirens could no longer be heard as we bolted at more than two hundred miles an hour away from the mountainside, but the sound continued its resonance in our heads, the repetitive alarm sounding like a countdown to the end of the world, which it fundamentally might be.

As we ran, our minds melded together, not to plan or strategize, but just to feel each other's presence, to gain strength in each other's life force. Though I could tell my Mother was present in my head, that didn't stop my mind from wandering to what lay ahead.

The monster that had murdered Eliah, who had captured my father, who had killed Amba and the Denali's and countless other innocent man, women, and children—Davian—was luring us into its hive. And we are allowing it to. The fire in my veins was pulsing throughout my body, pushing it to its limits, the pain of loss, the fear of vengeance, identical two what Mother and Father felt when their coven had been decimated some many centuries ago. Love for another int he vampire world is few and far between, considering the rareness and sacredness of mating; coven bonds, as well, as equally strong, though rooted in other feelings. It is this love that fuels us now.

Our family has been targeted again, and that monster would pay dearly.

But he is unstoppable. Even the lower Vercrian are nearly impossible to kill, and this creature proved to be more powerful than them all combined, and with my blood in its veins, he is invincible. But no, I thought to myself, nothing is insurmountable, no matter what the odds. This thing, just like any other being, must have its weak point. And it may be me. It's my blood that runs through it; the fluid may strong, but the creature will fighting me, one born with this mystical substance in its most purest form.

There must be a way.

We continued running, passing through the mountains quickly, heading south down the backbone of the Italian countryside. It did not surprise me; the Vercrian had taken over the Volturi, so it would make sense that the creature would want to stay close to govern the vampire world. As we continued, the scent got fresher and fresher, until it finally slanted upwards up a rocky cliff face. We climbed, deftly hanging onto the rocks, digging our anise in for anchoring. When we peaked, we came upon a ghastly sight.

A dilapidated version of probably a once majestic and ornate castle stood at the center of chaos. All around, Vercrian were rampant, with humans and other creatures acting as meals or subject of torture. Seven Vercrian could been seen playing literal tug of war with an elderly couple, while another three were brutally kicking and beating a werewolf—you could tell by the wicked scratch mark down the center of his face, which was contorted in agony. A moat lay around the castle, but it was filled to the brim with bodies, mortal and immortal alike.

This was literal hell on Earth.

Mother and I did not bother to hide our presence; we knew the leader had been laying in wait for us. She slide down the other side of the cliff face, landing besides each other. All movement stopped; all eyes turned to us. The rises black from the retina through the whites of the eyes, demon eyes staring back at us, they followed us as we made our way toward the drawbridge over the moat, like a red carpet to our fate. The humans and supernatural beings like stared at us, some in confusion, other in panic, others still in awe. One man tried to scream out to us to run, but a Vercrian quickly decapitated him, silencing him permanently.

We did not move to stop the Vercrian; we knew we would die if so many of us came at us at once. And we seemed to understand that the leader was the key to them, their numbers. We continued, past the crowd through the doorway where the wooden doors had long since been blown off, wrenched from their hinges. Inside was an even more state of ruin.

One singular staircase remained intact, directly ahead of us. We climbed it silently, the sound four footsteps inaudible. Though there were no lights, we could see perfectly, but even still, the blackness and sliminess made me uncomfortable, like walking in the demon's hair, which was entirely accurate. The top of the stairs ended in single level, ending in a solid wall of stone, where a large dais with a single throne perched in the center. A figure sat there, cloaked in black, the same cloaks as those the Volturi leaders wore.

Father stood off to one side, restrained by three Vercrian. It was obviously these were older, as Father was incapable of moving. But his eyes widened in horror as he took us in.

" _Ila, Nila, run!_ " he sobbed, his blue eyes bloodshot as he pleaded. One of his captors closed a hand around his throat, silencing him.

" _Save yourselves, my loves! Leave me!_ " he told us. Neither of us listened; we contained to approach us. The same Vercrian that had calmed a hand over his threat tightened his grip and hissed animalistically, warning him. The figure did not waver at my father's words, the head focused on us. We stopped a mere hundred feet from the dais. We didn't speak. After a long moment, the figure let out a hiss, not in warning or fear, but of delight, like snake after it has finished engulfing its dinner.

" _It is an honor to meet you at last, Reala_ ," the figured directed its voice at me, saying my title like a curse word, a nasty one that a teenager loved to use behind his parents' backs. The hood turned toward Mother.

" _Ah, Nila, you have not aged a day_ ," it said. Mother stared right back into the hooded figure's chasm that was probably its face. Her hard line showed her fierceness, and hinted at the underlying emotion behind it.

" _Calix_ ," she returned. I froze up in shock for a moment, my eyebrows scrunching together as the pieces began to knit together. The hood chuckled slightly and reached up to pull the hood back.

Calix sat before us, the same he was when he supposedly was killed that day twelve thousand years. His pale blue eyes were gone, replaced by a sickening red that ran from the center of his irises to the edges of his eyeballs, like twin fireballs gazing into your soul. He was the original Vercrian, the one that triggered the near extinction of the vampire race.

" _That was quicker than I expected. You are fast as you were back then, and your daughter as well, perhaps even more so_ ," Calix mused, speaking the ancient language that died out long ago, save for those of my parent's time.

" _Enough with the formalities, Calix. What do you want from me and my family?_ " Nila retorted, her eyes hard, the diamond like eyes boring fissures into her old coven mate's face. Calix smiled, a devilish grin so full of power and wickedness I struggled not to snarl or gag.

" _What I would like is very simple: I want the Sanralae dead, by my hand_ ," he crooned, almost like a song.

Father cried out.

Mother and I whipped out heads around, following as the three Vercrian each took a piece of my father and pulled, ripping his arms and legs apart and cutting his head from her shoulders. In the same moment, one of them—the same one who had his hand around his throat—stabbed a jagged knife through his chest, plunging it deep enough that the blade came out the other side. The blade dripped black and red and I smelled both venom and my blood. Zakali's body fell, echoing off the stone walls to make his death that much more horrifying.

The next thing I knew, Mother had launched herself across the small gap between her and the Vercrian, wild snarls and screams ripping from her throat. Her mind had gone blank, acting on pure instinct and rage and loss, attacking the creatures without a thought. They did not anticipate her attack, and she dropped one of them in a half a second. The other two went on the defense, but there was no logic in her head. She attacked blindly, a mistake. Suddenly, faster than I could barely make out, Calix was there, one hand around her throat, lifting her up off the ground. She spluttered and fought his hold, with no luck. He smiled at her as he pulled her body closer for a moment, before plunging the same knife into her chest, straight through her heart.

"Two down, one to go," he hissed in her ear. Mother inhaled in shock and them went limp. Calix dropped her to the ground, his eyes shifting toward me. Only three seconds had past since Father had cried out. My eyes were on his body and Mother. Her breathing shallowed, Mother's eyes met mine once more, as she futilely curled over the gaping wound in her chest. The blue hue was cold, fierce, but also full of pain and, as she took her last breath, the life in them died. The sapphires fizzled out, the color unattached, mere reflections of the woman that once was. Twelve thousands years of living, taken out in mere seconds.

The Sanralae were dead. There was no one left, but me.

* * *

 **Hi everyone!**

 **Sorry it's been so long! I've been caught up with work and now school, but I'd figure I'd get this out to you while I still can!**

 **Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), there are two or three chapters left in this story, not including this one. Amethyst and the Neverland series are coming to an end, which will bring closure for all of you and myself. I hope you all will stay with me until the end; we are almost there.**

 **Please review or DM any comments or question! I absolutely adore what you write! :)**

 **~Melinda :)**


	10. The Heir

Chapter 10: The Heir

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My parents' lifeless bodies lay on the ground before me, the two oldest and strongest creatures on the planet fallen in mere seconds. At the hand of a sadistic creature, whose red eyes were focused on me. I realized I was somehow kneeling, having collapsed from the horror as my mother and father were killed before me. An arm was wrapped around my torso, trying futilely to hold myself together. The pain, the grief, the loss, shot through me like a knife had been plunged into my ribcage. My breathing uneven and shallow, I lifted my head to meet Calix's gaze.

" _Weak_ ," the creature spit at me, " _you and your parents, as well as the rest of the vampires. Coddled by useless emotions, imprisoned by your own mind. You cannot rule, you cannot have power with such inferior things holding you back_." He had begun to pace, his anger causing the unconscious motion, his need to rant overpowering his agenda. He snapped his head to me.

" _Get up!_ " he snapped. " _If I'm going to kill you, it will not be with you lying on the ground like some pathetic human_." I closed my eyes, then forced my muscles to move, to pull my body up into a standing position once more. Every part of my body ached, with grief, with pain, with exhaustion. I had to fight him, I knew I did, but I didn't know how. He was stronger than me, probably stronger than all the Sanralae combined. How could I fight the most powerful creature on Earth and win? How could I survive a battle with a beast that had my own blood running in his veins, using my own abilities against me, abilities I wasn't even fully aware of? I caught a glimpse of my parents' corpses in my peripheral vision, and I feared I would be sick. Calix made a disgusted sound.

" _You're a pathetic excuse for a vampire, an embarrassment to the entire world. The daughter of the formerly strongest and revered creatures on the planet and you're no better than a measly human. Looks like the Heir of the Sanralae is not much of a prodigy after all_!" His taunting made me more nauseous and I didn't meet his gaze, continuing to stare at the lifeless forms a few feet in front of me. I knew Calix could attack me at any moment; I knew I was going to die in this room, by his hand, but I couldn't focus on that, my eyes locked on the two figures. Mother's eyes were open, the blue sapphires, once so full of energy and love, looked extinguished. Father's body was mangled to an unbearable sight, the cobalt of his eyes cold and unseeing. My heart ached; I had only just reunited with him, and I would never get the moments I never realized I wanted: the time to curl up in his side and fall asleep, the time to go on a father-daughter hunting trip, to watch Mother and he dancing under the moonlight like they must have for the twelve thousand years before I came along.

I would never get to talk to Mother again, never see the flash of intuition in her eyes as she detected my true feelings in our mental link, never hear the sound of her laugh, carefree and jovial, as we barreled through the forests of home, our own private Neverland, never feel the warmth of her arms around me, a constant beacon of protection and hope. Internally, I cried out for all the missed moments I would lose. My mind flashed through images of my family, of Eliah, so young and full of hope and prospects and humor, his short life cut off before he had even lived. The Cullens' faces reflected behind my eyelids—when had I closed my eyes?—their loving expressions filling my head. Some many things I would never have with them again; I would never play chess or video games with Jasper and Emmett again. I would never get to spend time with Alice and Rosalie, and grow closer to my godmother. I would never get to help Esme cook, or help Carlisle with research. Those fond memories were over. I would never get to lay in Edward's arms again, feeling his strength over me. I would never see Iria grow up, never see her walk, never hear her first word, never experience her first hunt, so many firsts that I would never see…...or would never happen.

As those images flashed by my eyes, almost like a video reel going in fast forward, I realized all the times that I would never see, but that might also never be. My family was in danger, the entire world was, at the hand of the creature in front of me, the one who had murdered my parents, Eliah, and countless other people near and dear me. Even the Order members who had perished for my life; though I had never met them, I could feel the resonance in my heart for their deaths, the pain for the loss of those of my kind. Some many beings, vampires, humans, or otherwise, can give everything for my family and I, giving their own lives so that we could live. And, as I thought once more of my family, my daughter and mate, a new determination flooded through me. I would die tonight, that was almost certain, but they did not have to. If I could end this here and now, my daughter and Edward and the Cullens and the rest of the vampire and human worlds would have a tomorrow.

With this determination came anger, anger at the Vercrian, for taking away my childhood and life, for trying to take the same away from my daughter; for mercilessly taking the lives of so many beings, who did not deserve such ends. They died for us, because of their love for us. And I loved them; every single creature that put themselves sin harm's way for me, for the Order that continued to serve us throughout the generations, for the Cullens for loving me unconditionally. The anger I felt pulsing through my veins countered Calix's, but my love—for Mother and Father, for the Cullens, for Edward and Iria—was what fueled my rage. My head lifted and I stood straight, my eyes locking on the scarlet ones in the face of the monster that had done all of this.

" _You are wrong_ ," I said calmly, looking straight into his face, " _We are not weak. Our emotions are what make us strong. Our love is what made us able to thwart you for twelve thousand years. You may have numbers on your side, but not strength. That's why you needed my blood, because even with the Vercrian you knew you could not win. But there was a side of your plan that you did not account for._

" _The power of my blood is not something that can wielded by sheer strength and mental superiority; it goes far deeper than that, and that is where it does not work for you, and it never will. My blood relies on a greater conscience and a greater ability, something you cannot attain; my blood relies on emotion, on love. You can feel it now, in my veins. You will never be the most powerful creature on Earth, because you have lost the ability to care for another person. To give yourself to another being in every way possible, to put their life before yours, that is something you will never be able to do, because you gave those emotions in your own selfishness, in your desire to be more powerful than any vampire, including my parents._

" _You want to be the best, but you did not know that things as primitive as superhuman strength, speed, and skill do not solely make up one's power. One's essence, their being, their emotional compass, drives that strength. My love for my family and friends, as well as the whole vampire world, is what brought me here, because I am not as important as they are. That love is more powerful than any venom or physical strength you can ever achieve. Even if you kill me, even if you succeed in wiping out the Sanralae, you will never be the best, because we all died for each other, and for the rest of the vampire and human world. You will be powerless, no better than a common mortal._ "

Calix's answering snarl filled the large hall, bouncing off the old stone blocks to amplify it a hundred times over. " _You are right about one thing: you_ _will_ _die tonight! I will have you begging for death, wishing for me to kill all this precious loved ones that you care for rather than you! I will maker you suffer before I extinguish you and then the rest of your precious family from the world_!"

I shrugged almost nonchalantly then crouched forward in a fighting stance. " _So be it_."

Calix lunged toward me, teeth bared, but he did not bother to listen to my words. I felt myself, the fire in my veins, my blood igniting like a match in kindling. With that spark came power, and I could feel it over every line of my body. We hit each other head on, animalistic snarls escaping both our mouths, going at each other for any part we could reach. I was not winning by any means, but Calix was cut by surprise by the strength I had and he hit a brick wall and could not gain the upper hand.

Swipes, jabs, and dodges filled the space between us, him trying to impose as much physical torture as possible. His nails cut at my skin, tearing my arms and stomach open and blood gushing from the wounds. I dodged him as much as possible while also pinpointing his weakest points and taking aim. He did not fall, but he did not advance. I did not have hope of winning this. His rage had sparked my blood in his veins and, combined with his Vercrian strength, I had little hope of surviving. But I did not intend on surviving; I intended for my family to survive, and that meant giving my best fight to give them the best chance. I clawed and bit and tore at his flesh, just as he did for me. His rage and my love, both fueling the powerful blood that ran through our bodies, it became a battle between those two things, with our bodies and minds mere tools on who would prevail. With every attack, faces flashed in front of my eyes, the faces of my family and friends, who would give up everything for me, just as I would do for them.

" _They will suffer as you will_ ," Calix hissed and I felt a small shock that he could sense my mind well enough to know what was flashing through my head. " _I will find each and every one of them, and make them pay. Starting with your precious little daughter._ " A scream of fury escaped my lips; without my conscious intention, I threw a hard kick into Calix's sternum; surprised, he faltered, but I didn't give him a chance to steady himself. My teeth bared to the point where I could have sworn I felt the sharp tips of fangs, I bit down on his arm, tearing into him, my venom pooling into the wound. Calix let out a scream, both of pain and shock. I kept going, my mind on overdrive, no conscious thought going through my head, just the need to ripe and tear and _kill_. In the forest corner of my mind, I could register that the building was beginning to shake, the walls beginning to crumble, but I didn't care. Calix would not walk out of this building alive. I continued my attacks, Calix's snarls and cries flooding into the background as I pushed on without rest. My rage was surmountable only by my love, and those two emotions, the most passionate and dangerous of them all, forced me on.

Finally, I stopped, but only because there was no more of Calix left. His cries had stopped and the only sounds were me ripping his body to shreds. I looked down on his corpse; he wasn't recognizable. With a small sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world, I sank to the ground, my muscles twitching uncontrollably and my body heaving for breath. Half out of it, I looked around me. The three Vercrian that had held Father were on the ground, their bodies just as mangled and ravaged as their leader's at my feet. Vaguely, I heard the screams of dozens more Vercrian as they fell. Besides them, I saw my parents.

Against the screaming of my muscles and the steady loss of my vision, I forced myself to move, to crawl to the place where they lay. Like a young, ignorant child, I shook them hard, as if they were aught in a dream that they could awake from. Blood-red tears were streaming down my face, along with my own blood dripping from my countless wounds that covered my skin. I could feel the blood loss taking a hold of me, but I didn't care. I knew I would die; but I also knew that I could not have let Calix live.

Slowly, I lay myself down on my side on the cold ground besides my parents, as if laying down for a nap. My body was exhausted, my senses dwindling, but I forced my hand to move to clutch Mother's hand that lay within my reach. I squeezed her palm, although knowing she wouldn't return the gesture. Blood streaked down my arm on her comparatively unblemished skin. As I watched the red fluid fall onto her soft tan skin, a memory tugged at my mind; though elusive, the words came to me in small burst, the knowledge that had been given to me so many nights ago. If I closed my eyes now, I could see my father, holding me in a blanket as Mother slept, his soft tenor voice soothing me to sleep. I remembered his words.

Almost unconsciously, my fingernails made a line vertically down Mother's arm, the cut opening and her own blood pouring out onto the stone floor. I sighed once more, holding my hand to hers tightly, my eyes finally losing their vision. I don't know if I closed my eyes or not, but I felt everything shutting down, the last few pints of my blood coursing through my veins in a vain attempt to cure my wounds. It was no use, and I knew that.

I let myself fall into the abyss. My family was safe; Calix and the Vercrian were gone. I had done my duty.

I had fulfilled the prophecy.

* * *

 **Hi! So I know this is VERY late, but I figured since this chapter was building up for a long time that you would appreciate a little longer in order for me to get it right!**

 **I hoped you enjoyed this series; it is basically over, with just a chapter or two ro wrap up loose ends, so please stay tuned for that!**

 **Please DM me or write a review to let me know what you think! You know how much I enjoy them!**

 **~Melinda :)**


	11. Return

Chapter 11: Return

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Rosalie Cullen stood at the head of a long steel table, countless Order members fluttering around her as they toyed with the monitors and soundboards that filled the central headquarters of the base. Her family stood besides her, too tense to sit as Malachia and Imo did, their eyes focused on the large screen facing them. Numbers and codes filled the outermost edges of the monitor, with a camera taking up the majority of the screen, almost like a first-person shooter game. The camera was attached to Aneirin, giving them view as he led a colossal squad of Order members along the trail that Nila and Ila had left in their pursuit of the Vercrian leader.

No one spoke to one another, the Cullens focused on the screen, and the Order focused on them, their new leaders in the Sanralae's absence. As the most important beings of the vampire world, the extension of the Sanralae, their new guard did not permit them to leave the compound. No one argued it; they knew that if Nila and Ila never returned, if the Sanralae perished, it would be they who would control the Order and the entire vampire world.

A deep murmur of discontent rose through the room, as the camera focused on the location that Ila and Nila headed. After climbing the steep embankment, the Order came upon the scene, and the camera transmitted the gruesome sight to all those in the room.

Bodies were everywhere, some of them humans, some magical creatures, but mostly the Vercrian. As the camera panned as Aneirin turned his body to inspect, they saw that the largest portion of the bodies were of the Vercrian, with the surviving humans and nonhumans stumbling away from their captors, dazed and confused. But their focus was thwarted by the appearance of the Order; the vampires, the werewolves, the centaurs, the shapeshifters, and every other-worldly creature present unconsciously moved toward them, the once fictional group a beacon of safety. The badge on their breasts were no longer were sketches in a fairytale; they were real.

Aneirin caught a frail-looking doe, taking her weight as she collapsed in his arms. She shifted, revealing an older woman with light sandy hair and pale green eyes, which looked up at Aneirin and the camera as if she were seeing the first light of day in years. That might have been true, as the sun was just cresting the bowl-like walls, like the first sunrise since the dawn of time in this godforsaken valley.

"They're dead," she said in a crusty voice, as if she hadn't spoken in a long time. Despite the harshness of the tone, her words were colored with surprise and hope. She indicated the Vercrian, their bodies each mangled beyond all repair.

"Did you do this?" Aneirin asked. The woman shook her head.

"They did," she said, indicating the entrance to the castle, or what was left of it. The building was teetering on the edge of collapse, the gaping hole where the entrance used to be looking like the mouth to a demon's hell. Aneirin looked up as more of the supernatural creatures approached, all in their own individual form, but with all the same look of incredulity and awe.

"They came here and all of those things stopped to look at them, but did not attack. They went inside and soon after there was screaming and fighting. It kept getting louder and then, suddenly, the beasts started to scream. They let go of us and started to curl in on themselves. Their bodies started to tear apart, as if some invisible creature was attacking them and ripping them to shreds. But it all happened at once." The woman's story sounded absurd, but Aneirin could see in every eyes of the creatures before him that it was a hundred percent true. He looked toward the humans, who all seemed to have fallen where they stood.

"And the mortals?" Aneirin continued his interrogation, feeling repentant to push the poor woman, but needing answers.

"A few minutes after the bodies had been destroyed, all of their eyes went blank and starry-eyed. They wouldn't respond to anything we said or did." The women told him. Aneirin nodded, then gingerly handed her over to a younger member of the Order, who swiftly began checking her wounds.

"Ryla?" Aneirin said aloud, knowing Rosalie would hear him through the communication transmitter he had attached to his ear.

"Search the castle. Find them." Her order was simple and immediate. Aneirin delegated to the squadron behind him. Half of the team stayed behind to assist with the survivors, both helping the injured and rounding up the humans. He and the other half began to move toward the castle, swiftly but not without caution. They knew there was a good chance the Vercrian could still be hiding behind any corner. The castle's interior was gruesome and dark, a dilapidated goth-like tribute to the architecture it once was. They moved toward the singular staircase, their eyes swiveling around for any signs of life. Rosalie and the Cullens watched through the camera on Aneirin's chest, no sounds loud enough to stir. A crackling on the microphone came through to Aneirin.

"Status report," Rosalie barked into the microphone, her expression gaunt, steadfast.

"The humans are unaware. From a superficial scan by my team, it seems their memories have been erased."

Rose looked toward her family who stood at her side. All of them held the same tense expression, with a tiny glimmer of hope. Edward stood in the middle of their circle, his arms holding Iria protectively to his chest. He had no heartbeat to calm her, but she understood his presence, though every once in a while she would deliberately touch his skin, asking for her mother. Edward couldn't bare to answer her. Suddenly, there was a loud noise on the side of the camera. Aneirin swiveled in time to see the large concrete walls of the castle shaking for a moment before falling, their concrete slabs shattering as if they were glass and crumbling to dust on the ground. The floor underneath them shook as well and there was an outcry from Aneirin and his squad.

"What is going on?" Rosalie demanded into the microphone.

"One of the walls of the building is buckling. Everyone, steer clear!" Aneirin barked at his team. The camera moved forward before something dark and hard slammed into it. The screen went black with a metallic clang and the audio turned cut off for a moment. Rosalie spoke into the comms mic, asking if Aneirin could hear. There was static at the other end of the mic, buzzing in and out and the Cullens and other creatures in the room winced slightly.

"I can hear you, Ryla. The camera was shattered from a falling brick; the mic took a hit but not as bad. I am bleeding but thankfully these mics are reinforced that it should make no difference." Aneirin's voice came onto the speakers, and everyone breathed a small sigh.

"Can you continue?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes, Ryla. My team and I are searching the wreckage of the building. Stand by. I don't know how bad the audio will be." Rosalie gave her consent, and then the line went silent, except for the lower buzzing of the static. Moments went by, with everyone getting more and more anxious. Suddenly, a minute after, the static spiked, getting louder as Aneirin yelled something, but it wasn't discernible.

"Repeat," Rosalie said. No answer. She repeated her order with no response.

"Damn it," she muttered then turned toward the Order members, barking orders at them to fix the static, to get a better connection. She stopped when the static decreased steadily until it was gone. Everyone in the room listened anxiously. There was a small buzzing on the mic.

"We've got them! They're alive! I repeat, we have got them! We have Ralae and Reala!" Aneirin's voice echoed through the otherwise quiet control room. There was a beat of shocked silence before the room erupted into cheers. The Order members whooped and high-fived, hugging each other. Rosalie collapsed into the chair, feeling the need to rest for the first time in her vampiric life. Esme and Carlisle embraced their children, Esme wrapping her arm around Rose's neck to join the hug. Edward bowed his head over Iria, who was looking around, not frightened but curious about the loud sounds. If he could cry, he would have. Instead, sobs wracked his body as he pressed his lips to his daughter's forehead and prayed to the God he now believed in and was indebted to. The Cullens encircled him in a large hug, not saying anything, just taking in the news.

On the other side of the microphone, Aneirin and his team gingerly but quickly lifted their leader's bodies from the stone ground. Their heads bowed over Zakali, the mourning brief and soulful but cut short to save his body from the quickly collapsing building. Cylis held Nila against his body, shielding her from the falling rubble. Her heartbeat thudded steadily in her chest, the sickeningly large hole in his chest closing after he had pulled the silver knife out of her sternum. Aneirin moved beside them in perfect unity, Ila secured in his strong arm.

Mother and daughter were kept close, the Order knowing enough of the Sanralae to take any new phenomenon without question. But they all watched in amazement at the merging of the Sanralae's veins, the mixing of their blood, with Ila's pumping into Nila. Though such a miracle was impossible, they could not deny its reality as they watched it: the blood of the Heir of the Sanralae pumped fiercely, strongly into her mother's veins, closing her wounds, and reversing what had been done.

* * *

 **Hi everyone! I know it's been only been a couple of days since my update, but I wanted to complete this story for all of you. You deserve to see it to its end. This and one final chapter will complete the Neverland and Amethyst series. I hope you will bear with me for one last time. :)**

 **Let me know what you think of this chapter and the last one! :)**

 **~Melinda :)**


	12. Everything Will Be Fine

Chapter 12: Everything Will Be Fine

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The first sense that came back was touch; I felt as if I were covered by a cloud, everything was so soft. Something behind my head, over my body, though feather light, was silky and cottony. I felt a coolness over my hand, a finger tracing the back of it lightly. Hearing came next; though no one was speaking, I could hear the gentle in and out of a group of people around me, as well as two heartbeats, one quicker and stronger than the other. These sounds, like beacons of white light across a blackened sea, is what gave me the inner strength to push past the last of my unconsciousness and open my eyes.

I was lying on a white bed, in a room I did not recognize, but based on the sounds I heard beyond the door, I believed to be in the Sanralae's headquarters. Edward sat besides me, one hand holding mine and the other supporting Iria. The Cullens stood at the foot of my bed, and I saw them exhale in relief as I looked around. My eyes settled on the last person in the room.

Nila sat on my other side, still wearing the black ensemble she had worn when we had gone to meet our deaths. Or what we thought was our deaths. My eyes flickered to her chest, where the gaping bleeding hole had been. Her skin there was undamaged, as perfect as it had always been, as if she had not died in that room of hell. As I recalled the room, I remember the fear, the horror, and the pain. My father's body flickered in my mind and I flinched, as did my mother. But the memory of our veins melding together, of my blood pumping back into her, came to the forefront of my mind. I listened to her heart, obviously still beating, but with less vigor as it always had. Even as she sat besides me, I could see the way she held her body, how much weaker she had become. I had never seen her so vulnerable.

I felt the same; every bone and muscle in my body ache, with the pounding in my head overriding everything else. I knew that if I were to sit up, I would collapse from the blood loss. Despite all that, I knew I would heal, that _we_ would heal. I could feel my body working to repair the damage of the past few hours.

My eyes went back to Edward, conveying emotions I could even hope to reproduce in words. He understood, leaning forward to press his forehead against mine, kissing me softly. At the same time, he transferred Iria to my chest. My bands took her almost greedily, holding to me as closely as I could without hurting her. She cuddled into my neck accordingly and I breathed her scent, my muscles seeming to relax automatically as I did so. My cheek lay against my daughter's head, and I turned back to my mother.

"Are you alright?" I asked. It was a basic, perhaps even laughable questions, but I had no idea of any other way to ask. Nila took a breath, leaning forward and bracing her hands on her knees. I had only seen her like a few times, when the full weight of the vampire world lay on her shoulders. That was not what burdened her now, though.

"No," she finally said, "but your father would want me to be, in time. The bond between mates is irreplaceable and is pure torture when one mate dies. But my bond with you, my daughter, my light, my world, makes the pain less. And the bonds I have made for my granddaughter and my family. And knowing Nero would have wanted me to live will have to be enough."

I nodded to myself, tears pricking at the edge of my vision. I understood, though I had worried. I knew what it felt like to lose a mate; Edward and I had both gone through experience. But I knew now that, if Edward were lost, he would have wanted to me stay alive for our daughter, just as I had asked him to do for me, when I thought I was lost. Mother reached forward and our free hands combined; I could see the slight imperfection in her arm, the slice where her vein had lifted out of her body to join with mine to revive her. That kind of mark doesn't just go away.

"The humans who were witnesses have no memory of the events," Nila continued, her eyes studying me. "Was that you?"

I nodded, looking down where Iria now slept on my chest. I remembered doing it, after I knew we were saved by the Order, to cleanse the minds of all the supernatural remembrances. It was probably why I finally passed out; even my body can only so much before it shuts down to recuperate.

"How did you do it?" she asked. I met her gaze again.

"That book, the one Father wrote. He stumbled across the mechanics of it, but was never able to perform it. I figured the reason why was because he was a full vampire. Certain power doesn't work on full creatures. That's why I couldn't do to him what I did to you." My throat got thick as I remembered in hindsight. "He was born a vampire; I couldn't reverse or change his body and soul at all, though I tried. I had to let him go."

My mother hushed me, wiping the tears building in the corners of my eyes.

"You did everything you could have; you set him free," she assured me, though I could hear the pain in her voice. Her blue eyes burned with pain as she thought of her lost mate, one who she had loved and who had loved her for thousands of years.

"Everything is fine now," she told me. I let her comfort me, though I did not fully believe her. The Vercrian were gone, and I doubted any vampires would try to dig up how to become one again any time soon. The human population was unawares, as usual. My family was in tact, save for three. Eli, Udara, Zakali. People had been lost, both at my hand and a the Vercrian. My mother and I, and many of the supernatural world, was hurting, from loss. And that pain would be one I know I would feel forever, as would my mother. But I could live, and I will live. We survived, we had come through the other side of this dark cloud, and we would come out of this stronger than ever.

No, everything wasn't fine. But it would be, eventually. With time.

An immortal has nothing but time. We had eternity to gireve, to heal, to live on.

Then, everything would be fine.

 **Hello everyone,**

 **I literally have no legitimate excuse for why this took me so long.**

 **This chapter was written, but it disappeared off my laptop so I could not just upload it right after the previous chapter. Within the past almost year (yikes), I can only say that life got in the way. I have applied to veterinary schools across the country, and I am entering my senior year of undergraduate.**

 **I had the time this week as my classes have not picked up yet for some strange reason, so I figured I had better do best by everyone and finish this one for you. I am sorry it took so long, but I hope you can find peace with Ila now, as I have.**

 **Thank you for staying on this long journey with me; I really appreciate it.**

 **I do plan on finishing Human Again (for anyone that read it), though not exactly in the way I hoped. I do hope, though that those of you will read it to its end, though many probably stopped reading.**

 **I have no idea how much longer I will be continuing FanFiction. After this last year is over, I will (hopefully) be heading on to veterinary school and real life thereafter. Maybe I will come out on the other side with the same passion as I had when I started. If so, maybe I will see you there.**

 **If you would, please leave a review to tell me what you thought. Or yell at me for taking so long. I would gladly accept either.**

 **Love you all!**

 **~MelindaHP :)**


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